Aims and scope

The Internet and the World Wide Web have brought a fundamental change in the way that individuals access data, information and services. Individuals have access to vast amounts of data, to experts and services that are not limited in time or space. This has forced business to change the way in which they conduct their commercial transactions with their end customers and with other businesses, resulting in the development of a global market through the Internet. The emergence of the Internet and electronic commerce raises many new research issues. The Electronic Commerce Research journal will serve as a forum for stimulating and disseminating research into all facets of electronic commerce - from research into core enabling technologies to work on assessing and understanding the implications of these technologies on societies, economies, businesses and individuals. The journal concentrates on theoretical as well as empirical research that leads to better understanding of electronic commerce and its implications.

Topics covered by the journal include, but are not restricted to the following subjects as they relate to the Internet and electronic commerce:

    Dissemination of services through the Internet;
    Intelligent agents technologies and their impact;
    The global impact of electronic commerce;
    The economics of electronic commerce;
    Fraud reduction on the Internet;
    Mobile electronic commerce;
    Virtual electronic commerce systems;
    Application of computer and communication technologies to electronic commerce;
    Electronic market mechanisms and their impact;
    Auctioning over the Internet;
    Business models of Internet based companies;
    Service creation and provisioning;
    The job market created by the Internet and electronic commerce;
    Security, privacy, authorization and authentication of users and transactions on the Internet;
    Electronic data interc hange over the Internet;
    Electronic payment systems and electronic funds transfer;
    The impact of electronic commerce on organizational structures and processes;
    Supply chain management through the Internet;
    Marketing on the Internet;
    User adaptive advertisement;
    Standards in electronic commerce and their analysis;
    Metrics, measurement and prediction of user activity;
    On-line stock markets and financial trading;
    User devices for accessing the Internet and conducting electronic transactions;
    Efficient search techniques and engines on the WWW;
    Web based languages (e.g., HTML, XML, VRML, Java);
    Multimedia storage and distribution;
    Internet;
    Collaborative learning, gaming and work;
    Presentation page design techniques and tools;
    Virtual reality on the net and 3D visualization;
    Browsers and user interfaces;
    Web site management techniques and tools;
    Managing middleware to support electronic commerce;
    Web based education, and training;
    Electronic journals and publishing on the Internet;
    Legal issues, taxation and property rights;
    Modeling and design of networks to support Internet applications;
    Modeling, design and sizing of web site servers;
    Reliability of intensive on-line applications;
    Pervasive devices and pervasive computing in electronic commerce;
    Workflow for electronic commerce applications;
    Coordination technologies for electronic commerce;
    Personalization and mass customization technologies;
    Marketing and customer relationship management in electronic commerce;
    Service creation and provisioning. 

Audience: Academics and professionals involved in electronic commerce research and the application and use of the Internet. Managers, consultants, decision-makers and developers who value the use of electronic com merce research results.

Special Issues: Electronic Commerce Research publishes from time to time a special issue of the devoted to a single subject area. If interested in serving as a guest editor for a special issue, please contact the Editor-in-Chief J. Christopher Westland at westland@uic.edu with a proposal for the special issue.

Officially cited as: Electron Commer Res

Special Issue on Critical and Emerging Information Technologies and their Transformative Impact on the Digital Economy
截稿日期: 2026-03-30

The rapid evolution of the digital economy is driven by innovations in critical and emerging information technologies (CEITs), such as artificial intelligence (AI), the blockchain, cloud computing, big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), extended reality (XR), metaverse, autonomous systems and robotics. These technologies are not only revolutionizing productivity and business models but also reshaping global industry dynamics and economic ecosystems. Furthermore, CEITs offer powerful tools to address pressing sustainable business challenges, including climate change, healthcare accessibility, and resource efficiency.

There is a notable gap in the literature regarding the systematic analysis of CEIT interactions interdependencies and interconnectivity, and their collective impact on the digital economy, the associated risks and challenges, and the governance models necessary to ensure their responsible implementation. This underscores the urgent need to investigate the symbiosis among CEITs and their holistic influence on digital business transformation.

This Special Issue explores the transformative role of critical and emerging technologies in shaping the digital economy. It focuses on the opportunities and challenges these technologies present in driving innovation, improving efficiency, and fostering sustainable economic growth while addressing ethical, societal, and governance concerns. The scope of the Special Issue may include, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Synergies and Interactions among CEITs
• Sectoral Transformation
• Economic and Industrial Impact of CEIT
• CEITs driven Sustainable Business Transformation
• Global and Organizational Governance and Responsible Use of CEIT
• Strategic and Ethical Implications of CEIT
• Risk and Challenges of CEIT Adoption
• Sustainability and Green Technologies in Digital Economy
• Regional and Global Perspectives of CEIT Adoption

This special issue encourages interdisciplinary research that bridges technology, economics, policy, and societal perspectives, fostering a comprehensive understanding of how CEITs shape the digital economy. Papers can be conceptual, empirical, experimental, or theoretical work.

Submission Deadlines:

The submission deadline for a full paper is March 30, 2026. Papers will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

View the Critical and Emerging Information Technologies and their Transformative Impact on the Digital Economy flyer.