1. Introduction and Purpose
The International Journal of Community Service (IJCS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, originality, and academic integrity in all submitted manuscripts . As generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies become increasingly integrated into scholarly work, this policy clarifies their acceptable and unacceptable uses. This policy applies to all parties involved in the publication process: Authors, Reviewers, and Editors. It is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and the protection of confidential information.

2. Policy for Authors

a. Permitted Use of AI as a Writing Tool
Authors may use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies solely for the purpose of improving the readability, language, and grammar of their manuscript. These tools should be used to refine the writing, not to generate core scientific content, data, or conclusions . The use of basic tools like spelling and grammar checkers, citation management software (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero), and plagiarism detectors is considered routine and does not require disclosure .

b. Prohibited Uses of AI

• Authorship and Attribution: AI and AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript. Authorship requires the ability to take public responsibility for the work, a uniquely human responsibility .

• Creation of Scientific Content: AI must not be used to generate substantial portions of the research, including the research questions, methodology, findings, interpretation, or conclusions.

• Fabrication and Falsification: AI tools must not be used to generate or alter research data, figures, images, or other graphical elements in a way that modifies their meaning, interpretation, or evidentiary content . This is considered a form of data fabrication and is a serious breach of publication ethics.

• Plagiarism: Authors remain fully responsible for ensuring their work is entirely original and properly cites all sources. Submitting AI-generated text without proper attribution is a form of plagiarism and is unacceptable .

c. Disclosure and Acknowledgment
If authors have used generative AI and AI-assisted technologies for purposes beyond basic language and grammar editing (e.g., for literature search assistance, data summarization, or language translation), they are required to disclose this use transparently.

• A statement must be included in the manuscript, placed in a new section titled "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in the Writing Process" immediately before the References list.

• This declaration must specify the name of the AI tool used and its specific purpose .

• Example Declaration: "During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL] for the purpose of [PURPOSE, e.g., summarizing literature to identify key themes in community service research]. After using this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the final content of the publication."

d. Responsibility
The submitting/corresponding author bears full responsibility and accountability for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the entire manuscript, including any content that was refined or generated with the assistance of AI tools. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and its submission .

3. Policy for Reviewers

• Confidentiality and Privacy: Reviewers must not upload any part of a submitted manuscript, including figures, tables, or supplementary materials, into any generative AI or public AI tool. Submitted manuscripts are confidential documents, and using them in AI tools constitutes a breach of confidentiality .

• Reviewer Responsibilities: The peer-review process is a specialized human responsibility. Reviewers must not delegate the evaluation of a manuscript, the formulation of a review report, or the final recommendation to AI.

• Limited Use Permitted: Reviewers may use AI tools to improve the clarity or grammar of their own confidential feedback/comments to the editor and authors. However, they must ensure that no confidential manuscript content is entered into the tool .

• Disclosure: Any substantive or unusual use of AI in the review process must be disclosed to the editor.

4. Policy for Editors

• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not enter unpublished manuscripts, peer-review materials, or editorial correspondence into public AI tools .

• Editorial Support: AI tools may be used to support editorial workflows, such as initial checks for plagiarism, reference verification, or administrative screening, provided that confidentiality and data protection are maintained .

• Final Decisions: All final editorial decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, rejection, or requests for revision must be made by a human editor and cannot be delegated to AI tools.

5. Sanctions for Policy Violations
Failure to comply with this policy, particularly the undisclosed use of AI, the violation of confidentiality, or the fabrication of content, will be treated as a serious breach of publication ethics. Depending on the severity of the case, sanctions may include:

• Immediate rejection of the manuscript.

• A ban on future submissions to IJCS for a defined period.

• Notification to the authors' affiliated institutions or funding bodies, in line with COPE guidelines .

6. Policy Updates
This policy is effective from August 25, 2026 and will be reviewed periodically to keep pace with technological developments and evolving best practices. The editorial board of IJCS reserves the right to update this policy as needed.

7. Conclusion

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing of this manuscript is limited to a maximum of 20% of the total content, strictly for grammar checking, limited paraphrasing, or preliminary reference searching, and all final outputs must be fully verified and solely responsible for by the author(s).