Authorship Policy

Authorship implies that an individual has made a significant intellectual or practical contribution to the manuscript and shares joint responsibility and accountability for the final published work. If a manuscript has multiple authors, one must be designated as the Corresponding Author. This person will handle all correspondence, manage the submission process, and sign the publishing agreement on behalf of all co-authors.

To qualify as an author or co-author, an individual must meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. Substantial Contribution: Made a significant contribution to the conception or design of the community service program, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data/field outcomes.
2. Drafting or Revising: Drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final Approval: Reviewed and given final approval of the version to be published.
4. Accountability: Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of the program's outcomes are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Additional Authorship Regulations:

• Order of Authors: The sequence of authors should be determined by mutual agreement based on the level of contribution, and must be finalized at the time of initial submission.
• Changes in Authorship: Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names after submission requires a written statement of agreement from all original authors and must be approved by the Journal Editor.
• Non-Author Contributions: Individuals who provided only funding, general supervision, administrative support, or writing assistance do not qualify as authors. Their contributions should be clearly stated in the Acknowledgments section.
• Ethical Compliance: Ghost authorship (omitting a legitimate contributor) and gift/honorary authorship (including individuals who did not contribute) are strictly prohibited and constitute ethical violations.