Similarity & Generative AI Policy

To uphold academic integrity, originality, and responsible scholarly communication, Gemeinschaft: Journal of Social and Community Engagement applies the following policies regarding manuscript similarity and the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). These policies are intended to ensure that all published articles represent genuine scholarly contributions and comply with established standards of academic and publication ethics.

Similarity Policy

All submitted manuscripts may undergo similarity screening using an appropriate plagiarism or similarity detection system before entering the peer-review process. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original and appropriately acknowledge all sources used.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must comply with the following requirements:

  • The overall Similarity Index must not exceed 15%.
  • Similarity from any single source must not exceed 15%, except where identical wording is reasonably necessary, such as quotations from official regulations, legal documents, policy documents, or other authoritative sources.
  • The Similarity Index should be assessed after excluding the bibliography, quoted materials, and small matches, in accordance with the journal's standard similarity-screening settings.
  • Manuscripts that exceed the permitted similarity threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected at the discretion of the Editor.

A similarity score does not by itself constitute evidence of plagiarism. The Editor may examine the nature, source, context, and distribution of detected similarities before making an editorial decision. Authors remain fully responsible for ensuring that quotations, paraphrased materials, ideas, data, and other contributions from third parties are properly acknowledged and cited.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Gemeinschaft: Journal of Social and Community Engagement recognizes that Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies may assist authors in improving the linguistic quality and readability of academic manuscripts. However, the use of AI must not replace the authors' intellectual, scholarly, and scientific contributions. Authors remain fully responsible for the content, accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their manuscripts, regardless of whether AI-assisted tools have been used.

Authors may use Generative AI tools only for limited and responsible purposes, including:

  • language editing;
  • grammar and spelling checking;
  • proofreading;
  • translation; and
  • improving readability and linguistic clarity without changing the scientific meaning or intellectual substance of the manuscript.

Authors are not permitted to use Generative AI to generate or substantially develop scholarly content that constitutes the authors' original intellectual contribution, including:

  • research ideas or research topics;
  • research questions or hypotheses;
  • literature reviews or substantive literature synthesis;
  • research methodology or research design;
  • data generation or data analysis;
  • interpretation of research findings;
  • discussion and scholarly argumentation;
  • conclusions or recommendations;
  • references or citations; or
  • any other scientific or scholarly content presented as the authors' original work.

Disclosure of Generative AI Use

Where Generative AI has been used for permitted purposes, authors must disclose its use in the manuscript under the Declaration or Acknowledgments section. The disclosure should identify the nature and purpose of the AI-assisted use. Authors remain responsible for carefully reviewing, verifying, and correcting any AI-generated or AI-assisted content before submission.

The use of Generative AI does not transfer authorship responsibility to the AI system. Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts submitted to the journal. Human authors must retain full responsibility for the scholarly content and final version of the manuscript.

Editorial Verification

The journal reserves the right to conduct additional checks regarding manuscript similarity, plagiarism, and the responsible use of Generative AI at any stage of the editorial and publication process. Where necessary, the Editor may request authors to provide:

  1. a complete Similarity Report; and
  2. an AI Detection Report or other relevant documentation concerning the use of Generative AI.

The Editor may also request clarification from authors regarding substantial similarities or suspected inappropriate use of Generative AI. Failure to provide the requested information, evidence, or clarification may result in the manuscript being rejected or withdrawn from further consideration.

Author Responsibility

Authors are ultimately responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts comply with the journal's standards of originality, academic integrity, research ethics, and responsible use of technology. Submission of a manuscript to Gemeinschaft: Journal of Social and Community Engagement constitutes an acknowledgement that the authors have read, understood, and agreed to comply with this Similarity and Generative AI Policy.