Author Guidelines
Blambangan Journal of Community Services (BJCS) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality scholarly articles on community engagement, empowerment, and service programs. The journal provides a platform for disseminating evidence-informed community service initiatives that demonstrate practical impact, innovation, sustainability, and meaningful collaboration with community partners.
Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by any other journal. All submissions are evaluated through an initial editorial assessment followed by a double-blind peer-review process.
Aims and Scope
BJCS publishes community service manuscripts from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to:
- Nursing
- Midwifery
- Public Health
- Medicine
- Medical Laboratory Technology
- Pharmacy
- Nutrition
- Health Promotion
- Community Empowerment
- Health Education
- Mental Health
- Maternal and Child Health
- Environmental Health
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Educational Innovation
- Digital Health
- Appropriate Technology
- Sustainable Community Development
- Interdisciplinary Community Engagement
The journal particularly welcomes manuscripts that demonstrate measurable outcomes, community participation, innovation, and sustainable impact.
Article Types
BJCS accepts the following manuscript categories:
- Community Service Articles
- Community Empowerment Reports
- Technology Transfer Articles
- Best Practice Reports
- Community-Based Innovation Articles
- Short Communications
- Community Case Reports
- Review Articles related to Community Engagement
- Conceptual Papers
Manuscript Preparation
Authors should prepare manuscripts according to the following requirements:
- Language: English
- File format: Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx)
- Paper size: A4
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
- Line spacing: 1.5
- Length: 6–10 pages (excluding supplementary files)
- References: APA 7th Edition
Reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote is strongly recommended.
Manuscript Structure
Community service manuscripts should be organized as follows:
- Title
- Author(s) and Affiliation(s)
- Abstract
- Keywords
- Introduction
- Identification of Community Problems
- Implementation Methodology
- Results and Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements (if applicable)
- Recommendations or Sustainability Plan
- References
Abstract
The abstract should not exceed 250 words and should briefly describe:
- Background
- Community problem
- Objective
- Methods of implementation
- Results
- Conclusion
Provide 3–5 keywords immediately after the abstract.
Introduction
The Introduction should clearly explain:
- Background of the community issue.
- Evidence supporting the identified problem.
- Needs assessment of the target community or partner.
- Scientific rationale for the intervention.
- Objectives of the community service programme.
The Introduction should focus on the significance of the community problem rather than a research gap.
Identification of Community Problems
This section should present the actual conditions experienced by the community or partner institution.
Authors are encouraged to describe:
- Existing problems
- Root causes
- Community needs
- Baseline conditions
- Supporting evidence obtained through observations, discussions, surveys, or official reports
The identified problems should logically justify the implementation of the proposed programme.
Implementation Methodology
This section should describe the implementation process rather than a research methodology.
Authors should include:
- Community partner(s)
- Target participants
- Location and duration
- Programme design
- Stages of implementation
- Educational media or technology used
- Community participation
- Evaluation methods
- Indicators of programme success
The implementation process should be sufficiently detailed to enable replication in similar community settings.
Results and Discussion
This section should integrate programme outcomes with practical reflection and may be organised into the following subsections:
Implementation Results
Describe the implementation activities, including participation, outputs, and programme achievements.
Community Impact
Present evidence of programme outcomes, such as improvements in:
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Attitudes
- Behaviour
- Community capacity
- Institutional performance
Whenever possible, include supporting evidence from pre-post assessments, observations, participant feedback, documentation, or simple descriptive analyses.
Discussion and Practical Reflection
Interpret the programme outcomes by discussing:
- Achievement of programme objectives
- Factors contributing to programme success
- Challenges encountered
- Lessons learned
- Comparison with previous community engagement initiatives
- Practical implications for future implementation
The discussion should emphasise practical value rather than statistical interpretation.
Conclusion
The conclusion should summarise the principal achievements of the programme and highlight its contribution to community empowerment, institutional strengthening, or service improvement.
The conclusion should be concise, avoid repetition of results, and should not include citations.
Recommendations or Sustainability Plan
Authors should explain how the programme can be sustained beyond the implementation period.
This section may include:
- Follow-up activities
- Institutional integration
- Community ownership
- Capacity-building strategies
- Opportunities for replication
- Future collaborative initiatives
A clear sustainability strategy is strongly encouraged.
Ethical Considerations
Where applicable, manuscripts should describe:
- Permission obtained from community partners or institutions
- Ethical approval (if required)
- Participant consent
- Confidentiality and privacy protection
Authors are expected to uphold ethical principles throughout programme implementation and reporting.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures should:
- Be numbered consecutively.
- Be cited in the text.
- Include concise titles and captions.
- Be editable whenever possible.
- Avoid duplication of information presented in the text.
High-resolution figures (minimum 300 dpi) are recommended.
References
References must:
- Follow APA 7th Edition.
- Be arranged alphabetically.
- Include DOI where available.
- Primarily consist of recent literature published within the last 10 years.
- Include relevant international references to strengthen scholarly discussion.
Plagiarism Policy
All submissions undergo plagiarism screening using similarity detection software.
Manuscripts containing unacceptable levels of similarity or evidence of academic misconduct will be rejected before peer review.
Peer Review Process
Each manuscript undergoes:
- Initial editorial screening
- Double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers
- Editorial evaluation and final decision
Editorial decisions include:
- Accept
- Minor Revision
- Major Revision
- Reject
Open Access Policy
BJCS is an Open Access Journal.
All published articles are freely accessible without subscription fees. Authors retain copyright and agree to publication under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) adopted by the journal.
Before Submission
Authors are advised to ensure that:
- The manuscript complies with the BJCS template.
- The programme addresses an actual community need.
- The intervention demonstrates measurable outcomes.
- Ethical requirements have been fulfilled where applicable.
- References follow APA 7th Edition.
- The manuscript has been proofread for English language quality.
- All authors have approved the final version prior to submission.
Editorial Note
BJCS prioritises manuscripts that present evidence-informed community service programmes with demonstrable impact, active community participation, innovation, and sustainability. Articles should contribute practical solutions to community challenges while maintaining scientific rigor, ethical integrity, and clear implications for future community engagement and development.
