PKM: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat establishes this policy with reference to the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) on authorship and contributorship. This policy aims to ensure transparent attribution of authorship, appropriate recognition of individual and institutional contributions, and accountability for published work. It takes into account the specific characteristics of community engagement and service activities, including needs assessment, program planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and the dissemination of outcomes and benefits to partner communities.

1. Eligibility for Authorship

Authorship must reflect a substantial intellectual or scholarly contribution to the reported community service activity and the preparation of the manuscript. Qualifying contributions may include developing the concept or design of the program, identifying community needs, designing intervention strategies, developing methods, collecting and analyzing data, implementing and evaluating activities, interpreting results, and formulating the manuscript's arguments and conclusions.

Each author must participate meaningfully in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content, approve the final version before submission, and accept responsibility for their contribution. Authors must also cooperate in addressing questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, methodology, and reporting of the work.

All individuals who meet the authorship criteria must be included, and no individual may be listed as an author without their knowledge and consent. Institutional position, academic seniority, funding provision, general supervision, administrative assistance, facilitation, or language editing alone does not justify authorship.

Community partners, local facilitators, volunteers, students, and other participants may qualify for authorship when their contributions meet the journal's authorship criteria. Participation in or attendance at a community service activity does not automatically confer authorship.

2. Disclosure of Author Contributions

Every manuscript must include an author contributions statement specifying the actual contribution of each author to the community service activity and the preparation of the manuscript.

Relevant contributions may include conceptualization, program design, community needs assessment, methodology development, coordination with partner communities, data collection, implementation of activities, development of educational materials or interventions, data analysis, evaluation, interpretation of findings, manuscript drafting, critical revision, project administration, supervision involving substantive intellectual input, and resource acquisition.

Contributors must be identified consistently by name or initials. The contribution statement must be accurate, transparent, and agreed upon by all authors. Multiple authors may share a role, and an individual author may perform several roles.

Single-author manuscripts must also include a statement describing the author's contribution to the community service activity and manuscript preparation.

Authors must ensure that contributions made by community partners and other participating stakeholders are represented accurately and that any necessary permissions have been obtained for the disclosure of their names, roles, or other identifiable information.

3. Author List and Order

Authors should discuss and agree on authorship and author order at an early stage of the community service project and confirm their agreement before manuscript submission. Decisions must reflect actual contributions to the activity, the analysis and interpretation of its outcomes, and the preparation of the manuscript.

All authors must consent to submission to PKM: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat. Author names, institutional affiliations, and contribution information must be accurate and consistent across the manuscript and the journal's submission metadata.

Where a community service project involves multiple institutions, universities, community organizations, or partner institutions, authorship decisions should be made transparently and in accordance with the actual contributions of the individuals involved.

The journal does not determine or assign author order on behalf of the authors. Responsibility for agreeing on the author list and order rests with the author team.

4. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact between the author team and PKM: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat throughout submission, peer review, revision, publication, and post-publication communication.

The corresponding author must ensure that all authors receive relevant editorial communications, agree to the author list and contribution statement, and approve the final manuscript. The corresponding author is also responsible for coordinating responses to editorial queries, requests for clarification, and matters relating to corrections or concerns about the published work.

The corresponding author must ensure that the manuscript accurately reports the community service activities, the involvement of partner communities, the methods used, the evaluation process, and the outcomes claimed. Any necessary permissions, ethical approvals, and disclosures relating to the activity must be addressed in accordance with the journal's requirements and applicable regulations.

The role of corresponding author does not replace the responsibilities of individual co-authors. Each author remains accountable for their own contribution and must cooperate in maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the publication.

5. Acknowledgment of Other Contributions

Individuals or organizations whose contributions do not meet the authorship criteria may be recognized in the acknowledgment section. Such contributions may include logistical support, administrative assistance, community facilitation, access to facilities, provision of equipment or materials, funding, technical assistance, language editing, or participation in activities without substantial intellectual involvement in the reported work.

Community organizations, local authorities, volunteers, field assistants, and partner institutions may be acknowledged where their contributions have materially supported the activity or its implementation.

The nature of each contribution should be described clearly and accurately. Permission must be obtained before naming individuals in the acknowledgment section, particularly where identification could disclose personal information or create privacy concerns.

Acknowledgment must not be used as a substitute for authorship when a contributor meets the authorship criteria. Similarly, providing funding, institutional support, or access to a community does not automatically justify authorship.

6. Unacceptable Authorship Practices

PKM: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat prohibits authorship practices that misrepresent contributions or undermine the integrity of scholarly publication, including:

• Gift, honorary, or guest authorship: Listing an individual who does not meet the authorship criteria, including solely because of academic position, institutional authority, reputation, personal relationships, funding, or payment.

• Ghost authorship: Omitting an individual who qualifies for authorship or concealing substantial intellectual or writing contributions that should be disclosed.

• Unauthorized authorship: Listing an individual as an author without their knowledge and consent.

• False contribution statements: Misrepresenting the roles or contributions of authors, community partners, or other contributors.

• Misrepresentation of community participation: Claiming that individuals, groups, or partner organizations contributed to, endorsed, or participated in an activity when such involvement cannot be substantiated.

• Inappropriate attribution of project outcomes: Assigning credit for activities, data, materials, or results to individuals or institutions that did not make the stated contributions.

Suspected violations will be assessed in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures and with reference to relevant COPE guidance. The individuals concerned will be given an opportunity to respond, and appropriate action will be taken based on the available evidence.

7. Changes to Authorship

Requests to add or remove authors, change author order, or change the corresponding author after submission must be submitted to the editor with a clear explanation and written agreement from all affected authors. Requests to add or remove an author must include the written agreement of the individual being added or removed.

An updated author contributions statement must accompany the request where applicable. The editor may suspend the editorial process while the request is examined to ensure that the proposed change is justified and agreed upon by the relevant parties.

Changes must not be made unilaterally or solely to reflect institutional hierarchy, funding arrangements, or personal preferences. If agreement cannot be established, the matter may be referred to the relevant institution or institutions for further examination.

Requests received after publication will be assessed based on the explanation provided, supporting evidence, and agreement of the parties concerned. Approved changes will be documented through an appropriate correction or other editorial action, as necessary, to maintain an accurate publication record.

8. Authorship Disputes

Concerns about authorship should be submitted through the official contact channels of PKM: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat, together with a description of the issue and relevant supporting evidence.

The journal will seek clarification from the parties concerned and may suspend manuscript processing while a dispute remains unresolved. Where a dispute concerns the division of responsibilities within a community service project, the journal may request supporting documentation relating to the project, the reported contributions, and the preparation of the manuscript.

Editors are not responsible for independently investigating or adjudicating competing claims about contributions made within a research or community service team. Where necessary, the journal may request an investigation by the relevant institution or institutions, following applicable COPE guidance.

Editorial decisions will take account of the available evidence and any relevant institutional findings. If an authorship problem affects a published article, the journal will take appropriate action to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the publication record.

9. Artificial Intelligence and Authorship

In accordance with relevant publication ethics guidance, artificial intelligence (AI) tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the work, verify all aspects of the manuscript, or fulfil the obligations associated with authorship.

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in research or manuscript preparation in accordance with the journal's AI disclosure requirements. The disclosure should identify the tool used and explain its purpose and scope, including whether it was used for language editing, translation, drafting, development of educational materials, data processing, analysis, or other substantive tasks.

Where AI tools are used in data processing, analysis, or the development of materials for community service activities, authors must provide relevant methodological details sufficient to support transparency and reproducibility, as appropriate to the work.

AI-generated content must be checked for accuracy, originality, appropriate attribution, and potential bias. Authors must ensure that the use of AI does not compromise the confidentiality, privacy, consent, or rights of community members and partner organizations. Personal, sensitive, or identifiable information must not be entered into AI tools without an appropriate legal and ethical basis.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, attribution, ethical conduct, and integrity of the manuscript, including all material produced or modified with AI assistance. Disclosure of AI use does not transfer responsibility for the published work from the authors to the tool or its provider.