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Analyzing a curated selection of 306 peer\u2010reviewed articles and conference papers, the study uncovers the structural, thematic, and collaborative dimensions of this interdisciplinary field. Employing analytical tools such as CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the Bibliometrix R package, the research maps influential contributors, institutional networks, and evolving research clusters. The results demonstrate increasing convergence between technology and heritage studies, particularly in virtual reality, user interaction, and artificial intelligence. Despite this growth, notable research voids remain, especially regarding global diversity, conceptual engagement with authenticity, and the long\u2010term preservation of digital reconstructions. The study concludes with methodological observations and proposes future research pathways to foster a more inclusive, sustainable, and critically grounded framework for developing and evaluating Virtual Heritage practices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/cav.70109","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T03:52:28Z","timestamp":1777693948000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Digital Pasts, Tangible Futures: A Thematic Study of Virtual Heritage (\n                    <scp>VH<\/scp>\n                    ) Research"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"37","author":[{"given":"Shu","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Art and Design Harbin University  Harbin China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0299-1771","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amir","family":"Karimi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of History, Faculty of Law and Social Sciences University of Tabriz  Tabriz East Azarbaijan Iran"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_1","first-page":"40","volume-title":"Proceedings of SPIE\u2014The International Society for Optical Engineering","author":"MacDonald L. 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