Publication Ethics and Misconduct

Help: Journal of Community Service (HJCS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly communication. The journal expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the publication process to uphold ethical standards and to act with honesty, fairness, accountability, and respect.

HJCS follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and adopts appropriate procedures for addressing allegations of research and publication misconduct. The journal takes allegations of misconduct seriously both before and after publication and may take appropriate corrective action when ethical concerns are identified. This approach is consistent with established publication-ethics practices recommended by COPE.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to HJCS are responsible for ensuring that their work is original, accurate, ethically conducted, and appropriately reported.

Authors must:

• Ensure that the submitted manuscript is their original work.
• Ensure that all sources, ideas, quotations, data, and contributions from others are properly acknowledged and cited.
• Ensure that the manuscript has not been published previously, except where prior dissemination is explicitly permitted and properly disclosed.
• Not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.
• Provide accurate and reliable data and research findings.
• Avoid fabrication, falsification, manipulation, or deceptive presentation of research results.
• Obtain appropriate ethical approval or informed consent where required by the nature of the research.
• Disclose relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest.
• Ensure that all listed authors have made meaningful contributions to the work and have approved the final manuscript.
• Inform the Editor promptly if a significant error is discovered in a submitted or published article.

Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals is considered inappropriate because it unnecessarily duplicates the editorial and peer-review process.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should reflect genuine intellectual and scholarly contributions to the manuscript.

All listed authors should:

1. Make a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the work;
2. Participate in drafting the manuscript or critically reviewing it for important intellectual content;
3. Approve the final version of the manuscript; and
4. Accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.

Individuals who contribute to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

HJCS does not permit:

• Gift authorship;
• Guest authorship;
• Honorary authorship;
• Ghost authorship; or
• Manipulation of the author list without appropriate agreement and editorial approval.

Any authorship dispute should be resolved among the authors and, where necessary, through the relevant institutional authorities.

3. Plagiarism

HJCS considers plagiarism to be a serious violation of academic integrity.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Copying another person's words without appropriate citation;
• Presenting another person's ideas as one's own;
• Reusing substantial portions of previously published work without appropriate acknowledgment;
• Paraphrasing another person's work without proper attribution; and
• Presenting another person's data, findings, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions as original work.

All submitted manuscripts may be screened using Turnitin or another appropriate similarity-detection system.

HJCS generally applies a maximum similarity threshold of 20%. However, the similarity percentage is not automatically interpreted as plagiarism. Editors assess the nature, location, and sources of the detected similarities before making an editorial decision.

Where plagiarism is confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected, withdrawn, or retracted depending on the stage of publication and severity of the misconduct.

4. Fabrication and Falsification

HJCS strictly prohibits research misconduct involving the fabrication or falsification of research.

Fabrication refers to making up data, results, participants, observations, or other research information that did not actually exist.

Falsification refers to manipulating research materials, procedures, data, images, results, or other elements of the research process in a way that misrepresents the research.

Deceptive manipulation of data or images is recognized as a form of scientific misconduct.

When credible concerns arise, the Editor may request clarification or supporting evidence and may contact the authors' institution or other relevant parties where appropriate.

5. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit or publish substantially the same work in more than one journal without appropriate disclosure and editorial approval.

Duplicate or redundant publication includes:

• Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously;
• Republishing substantially identical research without appropriate disclosure;
• Splitting one study into multiple publications in a way that improperly duplicates the scientific record; or
• Reusing substantial portions of previously published work without clear acknowledgment.

Where duplicate publication is discovered after publication, HJCS may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the circumstances.

6. Citation Manipulation

Authors, reviewers, and editors must not manipulate citations for inappropriate purposes.

The following practices are prohibited:

• Excessive self-citation intended to artificially increase citation counts;
• Coercive citation;
• Requiring authors to cite unrelated articles;
• Citation stacking intended to manipulate journal or author metrics; and
• Adding irrelevant references solely to increase citations.

References should be selected because they are relevant, credible, and academically necessary.

7. Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to disclose any financial, professional, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could influence—or reasonably be perceived to influence—the publication process.

Reviewers should decline an assignment when a conflict of interest could compromise their impartiality.

Editors must also avoid handling manuscripts where their own interests or relationships could compromise editorial independence.

8. Ethical Conduct in Community-Based Research

Because HJCS focuses specifically on community service, community engagement, and community development, authors are expected to demonstrate respect for the communities involved in their research or service activities.

Authors should:

• Respect the dignity and rights of community members;
• Obtain informed consent where appropriate;
• Protect participants' privacy and confidentiality;
• Avoid exploitation or harm to vulnerable communities;
• Report community conditions and outcomes honestly;
• Avoid misrepresenting community participation or impact;
• Respect local cultural, social, and institutional contexts; and
• Clearly explain the role and involvement of community members in the research or service activity.

Claims of community impact should be supported by appropriate evidence rather than exaggerated or unsupported statements.

9. Research Data and Transparency

Authors are expected to maintain appropriate research records and ensure that reported findings accurately represent the underlying research.

Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors should provide sufficient information about their methodology, data sources, analytical procedures, and research materials to enable readers to understand and assess the research.

Confidential or personally identifiable community data must not be disclosed without appropriate authorization.

10. Use of Artificial Intelligence

HJCS recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used as supporting technologies in scholarly writing and research. However, AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

• The accuracy of the manuscript;
• The originality and integrity of the work;
• Verification of AI-generated information;
• Proper citation of sources;
• Protection of confidential information; and
• Disclosure of substantive AI assistance where required by the journal.

AI-generated text, references, data, images, or other content must not be presented as reliable without appropriate human verification.

Reviewers and editors should also protect the confidentiality of manuscripts and should not upload confidential or unpublished manuscript content into external AI systems where doing so could compromise confidentiality.

Current international guidance increasingly addresses responsible AI use in scholarly publishing; the ICMJE, for example, added dedicated guidance on AI use by authors, reviewers, and editors in its January 2026 recommendations.

11. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

• Maintain confidentiality;
• Provide objective and constructive comments;
• Evaluate manuscripts based on scholarly merit;
• Declare conflicts of interest;
• Avoid using unpublished information for personal advantage;
• Avoid inappropriate citation demands;
• Report suspected plagiarism or serious ethical concerns to the Editor; and
• Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe.

Reviewers should not disclose the contents of manuscripts or discuss them with third parties without authorization.

12. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that editorial decisions are based on the academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, and ethical integrity of manuscripts.

Editors must:

• Maintain confidentiality;
• Ensure a fair and appropriate peer-review process;
• Avoid discrimination based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, religion, ethnicity, political views, or other irrelevant characteristics;
• Declare and manage conflicts of interest;
• Protect the independence of editorial decisions;
• Investigate credible allegations of misconduct; and
• Take appropriate corrective action when ethical violations are confirmed.

Editorial decisions should not be influenced by commercial interests, personal relationships, or pressure from authors, institutions, sponsors, or other external parties.

13. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

HJCS will take reasonable and appropriate steps when an allegation of misconduct is received.

Allegations may be raised by:

• Authors;
• Reviewers;
• Editors;
• Readers;
• Institutions;
• Research participants; or
• Other credible sources.

The Editor will initially assess the allegation and may request clarification or supporting documentation from the relevant parties.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the allegation, the journal may:

1. Request an explanation from the author;
2. Request supporting data or research documentation;
3. Consult independent experts;
4. Contact the author's institution or relevant research organization;
5. Issue a correction;
6. Issue an Expression of Concern;
7. Reject the manuscript;
8. Withdraw the manuscript; or
9. Retract a published article.

HJCS may follow established publication-ethics procedures, including relevant COPE guidance, when handling suspected misconduct. COPE emphasizes that journals should have clear processes for allegations received both before and after publication.

14. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

If an error or ethical problem is identified after publication, HJCS may take appropriate corrective action.

Correction

A correction may be issued when an error affects the accuracy or clarity of an article but does not invalidate the main findings.

Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published when there is a serious unresolved concern about the integrity of an article while an investigation is ongoing.

Retraction

An article may be retracted when its findings are substantially unreliable, when serious misconduct is confirmed, when plagiarism or duplicate publication is established, or when other circumstances seriously compromise the integrity of the published record.

Retractions are intended to maintain the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record rather than to punish authors.

15. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that the decision resulted from a significant factual misunderstanding, procedural error, or inappropriate evaluation.

Appeals should:

• Be submitted through the official journal communication channel;
• Clearly explain the reason for the appeal;
• Address specific editorial or reviewer concerns; and
• Provide supporting evidence where appropriate.

The Editor-in-Chief will review the appeal and determine whether further consideration is warranted.

16. Editorial Independence

HJCS maintains editorial independence in evaluating and publishing manuscripts. Editorial decisions are made according to academic and ethical considerations and should not be influenced by commercial interests, sponsorship, institutional pressure, or other external factors.

17. Commitment to Publication Integrity

HJCS is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and to ensuring that published research contributes responsibly to the development of knowledge and community practice.

All authors, reviewers, editors, and publishing partners are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, accountability, confidentiality, fairness, and respect throughout the publication process.

HJCS believes that publication ethics is not merely an administrative requirement, but a fundamental commitment to building trustworthy scholarship and creating meaningful impact for communities and society.