Author Guidelines

Mitra Teras: Jurnal Terapan Pengabdian Masyarakat publishes peer-reviewed articles on community engagement programs that are planned with clear methods, carried out with community partners, and evaluated with measurable results. Before submitting, please read the Aims and Scope to make sure your manuscript fits the journal.

1. Types of Manuscript

The journal accepts two types of manuscript. Both go through the same peer review process.

Community Engagement Article
This is the main article type. It reports a complete community engagement program, from problem identification to evaluation of results. The program must involve a real community partner, such as a village, school, small business (UMKM), health post, or local organization. The manuscript must include data that show the results of the program.
Length: maximum 7,000 words, excluding references.
Impact Follow-up Report
This article reports the long-term results of a program that has already been carried out or published. It shows what changed in the community after some time, for example 6 to 12 months later. If the original program was published, the report must cite that article.
Length: maximum 5,000 words, excluding references.

Manuscripts that only describe activities, without data on results or impact, will be returned to the authors for revision before peer review.

2. Language

Manuscripts may be written in English or Indonesian. Every manuscript must include an abstract in both English and Indonesian. Authors writing in English should make sure the language is clear and correct before submission.

3. Manuscript Structure

Community Engagement Article

Title
Maximum 20 words. The title should state the program, the partner, and the location. Example: "Improving Salted Egg Production through a Washing Machine for a Small Business in Bojonegoro."

Authors
Write full names without academic titles. Give each author's affiliation (institution, address, city, postal code, country) and ORCID iD if available. Mark the corresponding author and give their email address.

Abstract
One paragraph of 150–250 words, in English and in Indonesian. The abstract should state:

the problem and the community partner;
the objective of the program;
the method of implementation and evaluation;
the main results, with numbers where possible;
the conclusion.

Keywords
3–5 keywords that show the main topics of the article.

Introduction
Explain the context and why the problem matters, supported by data and previous studies. Show what earlier programs or studies have done and what is still missing. End with the objective of the program.

Partner Profile and Problem
Describe the community partner: who they are, where they are, and their current situation. Explain how the problem was identified together with the partner, for example through a needs assessment, interviews, or observation.

Methods of Implementation
Describe:

the approach used, such as PAR, ABCD, CBR, Service Learning, training and mentoring, or technology transfer;
the stages of the program and the timeline;
the number and type of participants;
the role of the community partner in each stage;
how the results were evaluated: the indicators, instruments (for example tests, questionnaires, observation sheets), and data analysis.

Write this section in paragraphs, not only in bullet points.

Results and Evaluation
Present the outputs (what was produced) and the outcomes (what changed in the community). Show the evaluation data, for example scores before and after the program, changes in production, or survey results. Use tables and figures to make the data clear.

Discussion
Explain what the results mean. Compare them with previous studies. Discuss challenges, limitations, and how the program can be sustained or replicated in other places.

Conclusion
Answer the program objectives clearly. Give practical recommendations for the partner and for future programs.

Declarations
Include these short statements at the end of the manuscript, before the references:

Acknowledgments: thank the community partner and others who helped but are not authors.
Funding: name the funder and grant number, or write "This program received no external funding."
Conflict of Interest: state any interests that may influence the work, or write "The authors declare no conflict of interest."
Author Contributions: briefly state what each author did.
Use of AI Tools: state whether AI tools were used and for what purpose (see Section 4).

References
See Section 5.

Impact Follow-up Report

Use this shorter structure: Title, Authors, Abstract (English and Indonesian), Keywords, Introduction (including a summary of the original program and a citation to it), Follow-up Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Declarations, and References.

4. Ethics in Community Engagement

Permission and consent. Authors must have permission from the community partner to carry out the program and to publish the results. Participants must agree to take part and must be told how their data will be used.

Privacy. Do not show personal information that can identify participants, such as full names, addresses, or ID numbers, unless they have given written permission.

Photos. Photos of people may be published only with their permission. Faces of children must be blurred, unless a parent or guardian has given written permission.

Health programs. Programs that involve health measurements, treatment, or sensitive personal data must have ethics approval from an ethics committee. Please give the approval number in the Methods section.

Use of AI tools. AI tools may be used to help with language editing. They must not be used to create data, results, or references. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors are fully responsible for the content of the manuscript.

Originality. The manuscript must be original and must not be under review or published elsewhere. All manuscripts are checked with Turnitin. The maximum similarity is 12%. See our Plagiarism Policy.

Authorship. Community partners who made a real contribution to the program and the manuscript can be listed as co-authors. Others should be thanked in the Acknowledgments.

For more information, see our Publication Ethics.

5. References

Use APA Style (7th edition) for citations and the reference list.
Use reference management software, such as Mendeley or Zotero.
At least 80% of references should be primary sources (journal articles) from the last 10 years.
Give the DOI for each reference when available.

6. Manuscript Format

Use the Article Template.
Submit the manuscript as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx).
Figures must be clear, with a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
Tables must be editable, not pasted as images.
Number all tables and figures, and mention each one in the text.

7. Submission and Review Process

Register as an author and submit the manuscript through the journal website.
The editor checks whether the manuscript fits the scope and follows these guidelines.
The manuscript is checked for similarity.
The manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers.
Authors revise the manuscript based on the reviewers' and editor's comments.
The editor makes the final decision.
Accepted manuscripts are copyedited, laid out, and published.

8. Submission Checklist

Before submitting, please check that:

the manuscript fits the Aims and Scope;
the correct article type is chosen;
the manuscript uses the Article Template;
the abstract is written in English and Indonesian;
the manuscript includes evaluation data on results or impact;
the community partner has given permission to publish;
all declarations (funding, conflict of interest, author contributions, use of AI tools) are included;
references follow APA 7th edition.