Focus and Scope

Buletin Pengabdian (Bulletin of Community Services) is an open-access scientific journal dedicated to disseminating high-quality research and practice in community engagement and empowerment. The journal provides a platform for academics, researchers, government institutions, private sectors, and industries to share innovative approaches that connect scientific knowledge with community development. The scope includes but is not limited to:

• community service programs (Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat/PENGMAS),

• student community service (Kuliah Kerja Nyata/KKN),

• rural and urban development,

• agricultural extension and technology transfer,

• capacity building and technical training for communities,

• environmental sustainability and local resource management,

• socio-economic and policy studies that support community welfare.
  The journal encourages interdisciplinary studies integrating social, environmental, agricultural, and economic perspectives to promote sustainable community transformation.

Section Policies

Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services applies a rigorous peer review process to ensure the quality, originality, relevance, and academic integrity of all published manuscripts.

Type of Peer Review

This journal implements a double-blind peer review process, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review process. This approach is intended to ensure objectivity, fairness, and independence in manuscript evaluation.

Initial Editorial Screening

All submitted manuscripts are first reviewed by the editorial team to assess:

• Relevance to the journal’s focus and scope;

• Compliance with the author guidelines and manuscript structure;

• Language clarity and academic writing quality;

• Originality and potential ethical issues, including plagiarism.

Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected without external review.

Peer Review Stage

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers who have expertise relevant to the manuscript’s subject area. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on:

• Originality and contribution to community service and empowerment;

• Relevance and clarity of objectives;

• Appropriateness of methods and data analysis;

• Quality of results, discussion, and conclusions;

• Use of relevant and up-to-date references;

• Overall clarity, coherence, and academic rigor.

Reviewers provide constructive comments and recommendations to improve the manuscript.

Review Outcomes

Based on the reviewers’ evaluations, the editorial decision may be:

• Accepted without revision;

• Accepted with minor revisions;

• Accepted with major revisions;

• Rejected.

Authors are required to revise their manuscripts in accordance with reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version within the specified timeframe.

Final Decision

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision regarding manuscript acceptance, taking into account reviewers’ recommendations and the authors’ responses. The editorial decision is final.

Confidentiality and Ethics

All manuscripts under review are treated as confidential documents. Reviewers and editors must not disclose or use unpublished material for personal advantage. Any suspected ethical misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal’s Publication Ethics Policy and COPE guidelines.

Timeline

The peer review process is conducted as efficiently as possible. However, the time required for review may vary depending on reviewer availability and the complexity of the manuscript.

Publication Frequency

Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services is published three times a year by the Institute for Research and Community Services (LPPM), Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK), Indonesia.

Since its establishment in 2021, the journal has maintained a regular publication schedule with issues released in:

• April

• August

• December

Each issue is published online and made available immediately under the journal’s open access policy. The journal is committed to timely publication and continuous improvement of editorial quality in accordance with international scholarly publishing standards.

Open Access Policy

Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services is an open-access journal that provides immediate and free access to its published content. The journal is committed to supporting the open exchange of knowledge and the dissemination of research results for the benefit of the scientific community and the public.

All articles published in Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services are freely accessible online without subscription or payment barriers. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, and to use them for any lawful purpose, without prior permission from the publisher or the authors.

This open-access policy is based on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and increases the visibility and impact of scholarly work, particularly in the field of community services and empowerment.

All published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.

Archiving

Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system to create a distributed archiving network among participating libraries.

This system allows libraries to:

• Collect and preserve permanent copies of journal content;

• Ensure long-term digital preservation and accessibility;

• Restore journal content in the event of data loss or system failure.

By participating in the LOCKSS program, Buletin Pengabdian ensures that its published content remains secure, accessible, and preserved for future scholarly use.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Background

Buletin Pengabdian is committed to ensuring that all published works adhere to the highest standards of ethical academic publishing. Establishing clear ethical guidelines for all stakeholders—authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—is essential to foster a transparent, accountable, and professional scholarly environment and to prevent potential conflicts of interest or misconduct.

This document outlines the journal’s policies on publication ethics and malpractice, serving as guidance for all parties involved in the publication process.

Publication and Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, implementation, data acquisition, data analysis, or interpretation of the manuscript. All individuals who have contributed substantially but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be properly acknowledged.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible co-authors are appropriately included in the manuscript and that no inappropriate individuals are listed as authors. The corresponding author must confirm, on behalf of all co-authors, that:

• All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript; and

• All authors have agreed to submit the manuscript for publication in Buletin Pengabdian.

Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors must comply with the peer-review process established by Buletin Pengabdian. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original, accurate, and free from plagiarism or fabricated data.

Authors must be prepared to provide raw data or supporting materials when requested by the editors. Manuscripts submitted to Buletin Pengabdian must not be under consideration or published elsewhere. If any part of the manuscript has been previously published, this must be clearly disclosed, and the original source must be properly cited.

When reproducing data, figures, or tables from other sources, authors must obtain the necessary permissions and provide appropriate attribution. Research involving animals must comply with recognized ethical standards and animal welfare regulations.

All potential conflicts of interest must be clearly disclosed. Authors are also expected to cooperate in issuing corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies when necessary.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers play a critical role in improving manuscript quality through objective, constructive, and timely evaluations. Reviewers must notify the editor if they identify any similarity between the manuscript under review and previously published or submitted work.

Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest related to the manuscript, authors, or funding sources and must decline review if such conflicts exist. All information obtained during the peer-review process must be treated as confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Editors’ Responsibilities

Editors have full authority to accept or reject manuscripts based on their academic merit. Editorial decisions must be made objectively and fairly, without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, or geographical origin of the authors.

Editors must not have conflicts of interest concerning the manuscripts they handle. Editorial decisions must be free from commercial influence. Editors are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of reviewers in accordance with the journal’s double-blind peer-review policy.

Integrity of the Academic Record

Authors, reviewers, and editors share responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the academic record throughout the publication process. Commercial or institutional interests must not compromise ethical and intellectual standards.

For ethical issues not explicitly addressed in this statement, Buletin Pengabdian adheres to international best practices and refers to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Generative AI Policy

Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services acknowledges the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing and research activities. The journal establishes the following policy to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity in scholarly publishing.

1. Use of Generative AI by Authors

Authors may use generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT or similar technologies) only as supportive tools for language editing, grammar correction, or improving clarity and readability of the manuscript.

Generative AI tools must not be used to:

• Generate original research ideas, hypotheses, methods, or results;

• Analyze or interpret research data;

• Create figures, tables, or images that represent original research findings;

• Replace critical intellectual contributions of the authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the content of their manuscripts.

2. Disclosure Requirement

If generative AI tools are used at any stage of manuscript preparation, authors must disclose this use in the manuscript, preferably in the Acknowledgements or Methods section, stating the purpose of AI assistance (e.g., language editing).

Failure to disclose the use of generative AI may be considered a breach of publication ethics.

3. Authorship

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors, as they do not meet authorship criteria, cannot take responsibility for the work, and cannot manage conflicts of interest.

4. Use of Generative AI by Reviewers

Reviewers must not upload or share submitted manuscripts or any part thereof to generative AI tools or external platforms, as this may compromise confidentiality and intellectual property.

5. Use of Generative AI by Editors

Editors may use generative AI tools for administrative purposes (e.g., plagiarism screening support or language checking) but must ensure that editorial decisions are made solely by human judgment and academic evaluation.

6. Ethical Compliance

All use of generative AI must comply with the journal’s Publication Ethics, Peer Review Process, and relevant guidelines issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).