BA: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (e-ISSN: 3026-1023 | p-ISSN: 3026-1015) is a free and open-access journal published by the Research Division, YPMMA Institute, Indonesia. Published twice a year — May and November.

Focus and Scope

BA: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal concerned with the practice and processes of community engagement in its broadest sense. The journal provides an inclusive forum for academics, practitioners, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and community representatives to explore issues and reflect on practices relating to the full range of engaged activity across social, economic, technological, cultural, and environmental dimensions.

BA is dedicated to the publication of high-quality research focused on community-based research, implementation, and knowledge translation — encompassing initiatives that connect academic expertise with real-world societal needs at local, national, and global levels. All published articles are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), ensuring permanent accessibility and robust linkage within the scholarly literature.

The journal's main focus areas are organized into the following clusters:

1. Community Empowerment, Livelihood & Economic Development

  • Micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) empowerment, incubation, and mentoring
  • Community-based economic development, cooperative models, and income-generating programs
  • Financial literacy, digital entrepreneurship, and livelihood diversification training

2. Health, Nutrition, Public Well-being & Social Welfare

  • Community health education, promotion, and disease prevention initiatives
  • Nutrition intervention, maternal, child, and elderly health programs
  • Mental health awareness, social welfare, and disability-inclusive community support

3. Education, Training, Literacy & Human Capacity Building

  • Non-formal education, community-based training, and vocational skill development
  • Digital, financial, health, and functional literacy programs
  • Youth empowerment, adult education, and lifelong learning initiatives

4. Environmental Sustainability, Conservation & Disaster Resilience

  • Community-based environmental management, conservation, and biodiversity protection
  • Waste management, circular economy practices, and sustainable resource utilization
  • Disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and community resilience-building programs

5. Technology Transfer, Innovation & Digital Transformation

  • Application of appropriate, simple, and smart technology for community needs
  • Technology transfer from academia to local industries, cooperatives, and small enterprises
  • Digital transformation, e-government adoption, and innovation diffusion in communities

6. Social, Cultural, Institutional & Governance Development

  • Social capital strengthening, community organizing, and institutional capacity building
  • Preservation and revitalization of local culture, heritage, and indigenous knowledge
  • Collaborative governance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and civic participation

7. Arts, Creative Industries & Community-Based Innovation

  • Community-based arts, craft, and creative economy initiatives
  • Design and creative solutions for grassroots problem-solving
  • Cultural tourism and creative industry development at the community level

8. Policy Advocacy, Legal Empowerment & Human Rights

  • Community legal aid, rights-based advocacy, and policy engagement programs
  • Gender equality, child protection, and vulnerable group empowerment initiatives
  • Public participation in local policymaking and grassroots advocacy movements

9. Community Service Evaluation, Impact & Sustainability Studies

  • Program evaluation, monitoring, and impact assessment of community service initiatives
  • Participatory action research and reflective practice in community engagement
  • Best practices, lessons-learned, sustainability models, and theoretical perspectives on community-based development

BA welcomes a wide range of manuscript types, including original community service reports, program implementation case studies, participatory action research, conceptual and theoretical papers on community engagement, policy briefs, as well as systematic and critical literature reviews that provide a foundational synthesis of knowledge across the areas above.

Peer Review Process

Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. All manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process conducted by at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant subject area.

  1. Initial Screening — The editorial team checks the manuscript for scope, formatting, and plagiarism compliance.
  2. Plagiarism Check — All submissions are screened using iThenticate, Turnitin, and Copyleaks prior to peer review.
  3. Double-Blind Review — Manuscripts are sent to at least two qualified reviewers; both author and reviewer identities remain anonymous.
  4. Editorial Decision — Based on reviewer recommendations: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.
  5. Revision & Re-review — Revised manuscripts may be returned to reviewers for re-evaluation.
  6. Final Decision & Production — Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting, layout, and publication.

BA strives for a rigorous yet efficient review process. On average, authors can expect a first decision within 7 days, a peer review period of 14 days, a total submission-to-acceptance time of approximately 28 days, and publication within 7 days of acceptance. BA is committed to a fair, transparent, and timely review process in accordance with best practices recommended by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).

Special Issue Policy

BA periodically publishes Special Issues dedicated to emerging and high-impact topics in community engagement and service research. Special Issues are guest-edited by leading experts and undergo the same rigorous double-blind peer review process as regular submissions.

Proposals for Special Issues should include:

  • A clear title and description of the proposed theme
  • Relevance to the journal's scope and current research trends
  • Names and affiliations of proposed Guest Editors
  • Proposed timeline for submission, review, and publication

Proposals may be submitted via the Contact Us page.

AI Policy

BA acknowledges the growing role of Artificial Intelligence tools in academic writing and research. The following policy applies to all submissions:

  • Disclosure required — Authors must clearly disclose in the manuscript if AI-assisted tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Grammarly AI) were used in the preparation, writing, or editing of the manuscript.
  • AI cannot be an author — AI tools do not meet the criteria for authorship and must not be listed as authors or co-authors.
  • Author responsibility — Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all content, including any AI-assisted portions.
  • AI-generated content — Manuscripts substantially generated by AI without significant intellectual contribution from the authors will be rejected.

This policy is aligned with the guidelines of COPE and leading international publishers.

Publication Frequency

BA is published twice a year (biannual) — May and November. Each issue features a collection of peer-reviewed research articles, program reports, and case studies covering the full scope of community engagement and service. Submission slots per issue are limited; the journal may close submissions early once the issue capacity is reached, without prior notice. Authors are advised to check the latest Announcements for current submission status.

Open Access Statement

BA is a fully Open Access journal. All published content is freely available online immediately upon publication, without subscription or pay-per-view fees. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, consistent with the principles of open access.

This journal believes that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge and is associated with increased readership and citation impact. For more information, see the Public Knowledge Project.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

BA applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) to cover the costs of peer review management, copyediting, typesetting, and online hosting. APC details, including applicable fees and waiver information, are available on the Publication Fee page.

BA is committed to full transparency in publication fees as part of its open access principles. Waivers or discounts may be available for authors from low-income countries or in cases of demonstrated financial hardship. Please contact the editorial office for further information.

Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication following the peer review process and the Article Processing Charge has been paid, the fee is non-refundable. This policy reflects the fact that significant editorial resources — including peer review coordination, copyediting, typesetting, and platform hosting — are committed upon acceptance, regardless of any subsequent author request to withdraw the manuscript. Authors are therefore strongly advised to ensure their manuscript is final and ready for publication before proceeding with payment.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

All articles published in BA are assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) via Crossref, ensuring permanent and reliable linking to published content. DOIs are assigned upon final publication and are included in all article metadata.

Copyright and License

Authors who publish in BA retain copyright of their work. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Creative Commons License CC BY 4.0

Plagiarism & AI Detection Policy

BA has a strict policy against plagiarism and academic misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are screened using iThenticate, Turnitin, and Copyleaks before entering the peer-review process. Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding the acceptable threshold will be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright.

Authors must also disclose any use of AI-assisted writing tools. Undisclosed AI-generated content is considered a form of academic misconduct and will be handled under COPE guidelines. Please refer to our AI Policy section above for full details.

Publication Ethics

BA is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics for all parties involved — authors, reviewers, and editors. Our publication ethics policy covers author duties, reviewer responsibilities, editorial standards, conflict of interest, retraction and correction procedures, and handling of misconduct. For the complete statement, please visit our dedicated Publication Ethics page.

Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the objectivity or integrity of the research or review process.

  • Authors — must declare all competing interests in the submitted manuscript.
  • Reviewers — must decline to review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.
  • Editors — must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists.

Retraction and Correction Policy

BA follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines for handling post-publication corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern.

  • Correction — issued when a minor error does not affect the overall findings or conclusions.
  • Retraction — issued when an article contains major errors, fabricated data, plagiarism, or serious ethical violations.
  • Expression of Concern — issued when an investigation is ongoing and there is uncertainty about the integrity of the work.

Retracted articles remain visible on the journal website with a clear retraction notice and are flagged in all relevant databases and indexing services.

Archiving Policy

BA is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of all published content. The journal participates in both LOCKSS and CLOCKSS archiving systems, enabling participating libraries worldwide to create permanent archives for purposes of preservation and restoration.

  • LOCKSS — Participating libraries may use the LOCKSS system to collect, preserve, and restore this journal's content.
  • CLOCKSS — Participating libraries may use the CLOCKSS system to collect, preserve, and restore this journal's content.

Authors are also encouraged to self-archive their accepted manuscripts in institutional or subject repositories.

Journal History

  • 2023
    BA was first published, establishing itself as a peer-reviewed, open-access platform dedicated to community engagement and service research under the Research Division, YPMMA Institute, Indonesia.
  • 2024
    DOI integration via Crossref was implemented, ensuring all published articles receive a permanent Digital Object Identifier for reliable scholarly linking.
  • 2025
    Expanded editorial board with national reviewers, strengthening the journal's commitment to rigorous double-blind peer review across all community service disciplines.
  • 2026
    Officially accredited SINTA 5 (Peringkat Akreditasi Baru), based on the Decree of the Director General of Research and Development No. 156/C/C3/KPT/2026 dated April 7, 2026, concerning the New Accreditation Rating of Scientific Journals for the 2nd Period of 2025 — marking a significant milestone in the journal's recognition within the national scientific indexing system.

Submissions that do not fall within the journal's scope will be returned to the author without review. Authors are encouraged to read the Author Guidelines before submitting.