Author Guidelines

General Standards

Before submitting a manuscript, authors must ensure that they have:

  • Read and understood the Publication Ethics,

  • Understood the Peer Review Process,

  • Read the Copyright Notice,

  • Read and understood the Article Processing Charge (APC) (if applicable),

  • Ensured that the manuscript conforms to the Mandau article template.

Manuscripts that do not comply with these guidelines may be returned without review.

Language Editing

Mandau: Journal of Community Service accepts manuscripts written in English and Indonesian.

For manuscripts written in English, authors must ensure that the language meets international academic standards. Authors who wish to improve clarity and readability may use internal or external language editing or proofreading services by contacting the Editor-in-Chief.

Please note that language editing does not guarantee acceptance, as editorial decisions are based solely on the quality and contribution of the community service work.

Language Style

  • The default language style for English manuscripts is American English.

  • If British English is used, this must be clearly stated on the first page of the manuscript.

  • Manuscripts written in Indonesian must follow formal academic Indonesian, in accordance with official spelling conventions.

Article Length

The maximum length of an article is 3,000 words, excluding references and appendices.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To improve article visibility and discoverability, authors are encouraged to:

  • Include key terms in the article title,

  • Avoid overly long titles,

  • Select 3–5 keywords that reflect the focus of community service activities (e.g., empowerment, training, mentoring, social innovation, capacity building),

  • Use as many keywords as possible in the first two sentences of the abstract,

  • Incorporate keywords into level-one headings.

Title

  • The title should be written in Title Case and aligned to the left,

  • Use Times New Roman,

  • Be concise, clear, and reflect the purpose, type of activity, and target community,

  • Avoid abbreviations and acronyms,

  • Creative titles are permitted provided they are relevant and non-misleading.

The editorial team reserves the right to suggest title revisions when necessary.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Author names must be written in full and separated by commas,

  • Affiliations should be indicated using superscript numbers and written as:

    Institution/University/Organization, Country
    (without detailed address information),

  • Example: Universitas Palangka Raya, Indonesia,

  • The corresponding author must be marked with a superscript, and the email address provided in a separate section below the affiliations.

Headings and Subheadings

  • All headings and subheadings must use Times New Roman,

  • Main headings should be written in ALL CAPS and bold,

  • Subheadings should be written in Title Case and bold.

Abstract

The abstract must be written in English, with a maximum length of 250 words, in a single paragraph. References and excessive abbreviations should not be included.

The abstract should briefly cover:

  • Background of the community problem,

  • Purpose of the community service activity,

  • Methods or approaches used,

  • Results and impact of the activity,

  • Brief conclusion.

Keywords

Each manuscript must include 3–5 keywords that are relevant to the community service activity.

Main Text

  • The main text must use Times New Roman, 12-point font,

  • Single-spaced throughout,

  • New paragraphs separated by one blank line,

  • The document must include page numbers and line numbers to facilitate the review process,

  • Manuscripts are recommended to be prepared using MS Word 97–2003.

Nomenclature and Abbreviations

  • The use of abbreviations should be kept to a minimum,

  • Non-standard abbreviations should only be used if they appear at least four times,

  • All abbreviations must be defined at first mention,

  • A list of abbreviations may be included before the Acknowledgements section if necessary.

Manuscript Structure

INTRODUCTION

The Introduction should:

  • Describe the context and problems of the target community,

  • Explain the urgency and relevance of the community service activity,

  • Clearly state the objectives of the activity.

A brief and contextual review of relevant policies, previous community service activities, or supporting concepts may be included.

METHODS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

This section should describe:

  • Target Community / Partners,

  • Types and Stages of Activities (training, mentoring, socialization, technology transfer, etc.),

  • Implementation Methods,

  • Time and Location of Activities,

  • Indicators of Success.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This section should present:

  • Outcomes of the community service activities,

  • Changes or impacts experienced by the community or partners,

  • Challenges encountered and solutions implemented,

  • Discussion linked to the objectives and success indicators.

Photographs, tables, or figures may be included selectively to support the explanation.

CONCLUSION

The Conclusion should be written in a single paragraph that:

  • Summarizes the main achievements of the community service activity,

  • States the benefits for the target community,

  • Provides brief recommendations for sustainability or follow-up activities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A brief section recognizing the contributions of community partners, supporting institutions, or funding sources.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT

Describe each author’s contribution using two-letter initials without periods, separated by commas.

REFERENCES

  • All references must follow APA Style (7th Edition),

  • Only references relevant to the community service activity should be included,

  • Every in-text citation must appear in the reference list and vice versa,

  • Reference management software such as Mendeley or Zotero is strongly recommended,

  • DOIs or URLs should be provided where available.

Figures and Tables

  • All figures and tables must use Times New Roman, 12-point font,

  • Minimum resolution 300 dpi, color mode RGB,

  • Table titles must appear above the table,

  • Figure captions must be placed at the end of the manuscript.

Funding

All sources of funding supporting the community service activity must be clearly stated, including grant numbers where applicable.