Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (COPE)

1. Ethical Publishing Principles

The Indonesian Journal of Community Service in Education (IJCSE), published by PT. Intelektiva Global Nusantara, is committed to ethical, transparent, and responsible publishing of scholarly articles reporting educational community service and community engagement activities.

This statement is informed by the core practices and relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and recognized principles of transparency in scholarly publishing.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

• Evaluate manuscripts according to relevance, authenticity, methodological clarity, scholarly contribution, and ethical compliance.
• Ensure fair and confidential peer review by qualified independent reviewers.
• Assess the credibility of reported activities, evaluation methods, and supporting documentation.
• Manage conflicts of interest and protect editorial independence.
• Maintain confidentiality of unpublished materials and sensitive community information.
• Investigate credible ethical concerns and take appropriate post-publication actions.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Provide objective, timely, constructive, and evidence-based manuscript evaluations.
• Assess community needs, program objectives, implementation procedures, outcomes, evaluation, and scholarly reflection.
• Maintain confidentiality and respect the rights of authors and community participants.
• Disclose competing interests, including relevant relationships with program partners.
• Report suspected fabricated activities, manipulated documentation, plagiarism, or ethical violations.
• Refrain from unauthorized sharing or AI processing of confidential manuscript material.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

• Submit original articles describing authentic community service or community engagement activities.
• Report program planning, implementation, participants, evaluation, outcomes, and limitations accurately.
• Avoid fabrication, falsification, misleading photographs, fabricated attendance records, and unsupported impact claims.
• Obtain appropriate permissions for program documentation, copyrighted material, and identifiable participant images.
• Ensure legitimate authorship, author approval, and accurate contribution statements.
• Disclose funding, sponsorship, competing interests, and substantive AI-assisted activities.
• Respect the privacy, dignity, rights, and legitimate interests of communities and participating institutions.
• Notify the editorial office promptly when significant errors or ethical concerns are identified.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

PT. Intelektiva Global Nusantara provides organizational and publication support while respecting independent editorial decisions.

The publisher supports transparent publishing procedures, digital dissemination, appropriate preservation, complaint handling, and cooperation in addressing publication integrity concerns.

6. Originality, Plagiarism, and Duplicate Publication

IJCSE prohibits plagiarism, duplicate submissions, redundant publication, and the unattributed reuse of text, photographs, program documentation, or other scholarly materials.

Submitted manuscripts undergo similarity screening. The journal normally applies an internal overall similarity threshold of 20%, subject to editorial assessment of the nature, source, and significance of textual overlap. A similarity score alone is not conclusive evidence of plagiarism.

7. Authenticity of Community Service Activities

Published articles must represent activities that were actually implemented. Fabricated community programs, invented participant data, falsified attendance records, misleading image alterations, and fabricated program outcomes constitute serious publication integrity concerns.

Editors may request relevant documentation or clarification when questions arise about the authenticity of reported activities.

8. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contributions to the planning, implementation, analysis, interpretation, or reporting of the work, together with appropriate responsibility for the manuscript.

Honorary, gift, ghost, and coercive authorship are prohibited. Community partners and other contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged, with permission where applicable.

Authorship changes require an explanation, appropriate author agreement, and editorial review.

9. Conflicts of Interest and Funding Transparency

Authors must disclose relevant financial support, sponsorship, institutional partnerships, and competing interests that could affect interpretation of the program or reported outcomes.

Editors and reviewers must disclose conflicts, including relationships with authors, sponsoring organizations, or participating institutions, and withdraw from relevant decisions when impartiality cannot be maintained.

10. Community Participation, Consent, and Privacy

Community engagement and associated evaluations must respect participants' dignity, autonomy, privacy, and applicable ethical and legal requirements.

Where required, authors must obtain relevant institutional approvals, informed consent, and permission to publish identifiable images or personal information. Additional safeguards apply when programs involve children or vulnerable populations.

Consent to participate in a community service activity does not automatically authorize the unrestricted publication of identifiable documentation.

11. Data Transparency and Supporting Documentation

Authors should provide sufficient information about community needs, participants, implementation procedures, assessment methods, program outcomes, and limitations to support meaningful editorial evaluation.

Supporting documentation may be requested when necessary, subject to participant privacy, confidentiality, institutional permissions, and other applicable restrictions.

12. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Tools

Generative AI systems cannot be credited as authors. Authors remain accountable for the authenticity, accuracy, originality, and ethical integrity of their manuscripts.

Substantive use of generative AI must be disclosed in accordance with journal requirements. AI-generated program evidence, fictitious photographs presented as real activities, fabricated participant testimonials, or invented evaluation results are prohibited.

13. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Reports of suspected misconduct are evaluated fairly and confidentially through procedures that may include:

1. Recording the allegation and supporting evidence.
2. Conducting an impartial preliminary editorial assessment.
3. Requesting explanations and relevant documentation.
4. Consulting qualified experts, institutions, or community partners when appropriate.
5. Assessing the findings and determining the appropriate editorial response.
6. Documenting decisions and taking corrective action where warranted.

Anonymous reports may be considered when supported by credible and verifiable evidence. The journal will not unnecessarily disclose confidential participant or community information during investigations.

14. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, readers, reviewers, program partners, and community participants may raise documented concerns through the journal's official editorial contact channel.

Appeals are evaluated by an appropriately qualified and unconflicted editor. Decisions are based on relevant evidence and procedural fairness.

15. Post-Publication Discussion and Corrective Action

IJCSE considers evidence-based scholarly comments and credible concerns about published community service articles.

When warranted, the journal may issue:

• Corrections to address errors without invalidating the article's principal conclusions.
• Expressions of concern to alert readers to serious unresolved issues.
• Retractions for unreliable publications or serious violations of research and publication integrity.

Public notices should be clearly labeled, freely accessible, and linked to the relevant article to preserve the scholarly record.

16. Confidentiality and Data Protection

IJCSE protects confidential editorial communications, reviewer identities, unpublished manuscripts, participant records, and sensitive community information in accordance with legitimate publication needs and applicable privacy requirements.

17. Ethical Guidance

• COPE Core Practices
• COPE Guidance
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing