• AI is not an author. AI tools cannot be listed as an author or co-author, because they cannot take responsibility for the work, give consent, or hold copyright.
• Responsibility rests entirely with humans. Authors are fully responsible for the entire content of the manuscript, including any parts assisted by AI, from accuracy and originality to the correctness of references.
• Transparency. Any use of generative AI that affects the content of the manuscript must be clearly disclosed.

Authors may use AI tools as an aid, provided that the use is disclosed and the output is reviewed and edited by the authors themselves. Examples include:

• improving grammar, spelling, style, and readability;
• assisting in translating a manuscript written by the authors themselves;
• drafting an outline or exploring initial ideas, which are then developed by the authors;
• assisting in writing or checking code for activity data analysis, with results verified by the authors;
• rewriting sentences with paraphrasing tools such as QuillBot, when done substantially on parts of the manuscript.

Disclosure not required: the use of basic tools that do not generate or substantively change content, such as built-in spelling and grammar checkers, reference management software (for example, Mendeley and Zotero), and search engines.

The following are prohibited and are considered violations of publication ethics:

• listing AI as an author or contributor of the manuscript;
• using AI to create, falsify, or manipulate activity data, analysis results, citations, or findings;
• including AI-generated references without verifying their existence and accuracy (AI can produce fictitious references);
• submitting a manuscript whose entire or major content was written by AI without disclosure;
• creating photos, images, graphs, or illustrations with AI and presenting them as authentic documentation of activities or genuine community service results;
• fabricating statements, testimonials, or responses from partners and target communities using AI;
• uploading personal data of partners or activity participants, confidential data, or unpublished manuscripts to AI services that do not guarantee confidentiality;
• concealing the use of AI when asked for clarification by the editors.

Authors who use generative AI must include a disclosure statement in the manuscript, in the Methods or Acknowledgments section. The statement should include the name and version of the tool, the date or period of use, the purpose of use, and the related part of the manuscript. Example statement:

If AI was not used, authors are encouraged to state this in the cover letter or the manuscript originality statement.

Because AI output can be incorrect, biased, or out of context, authors must check all AI-assisted content, trace every reference to its original source, and ensure the manuscript is free from plagiarism. Manuscripts are still checked for similarity in accordance with the Plagiarism Policy of Kamane: Journal of Community Service. AI-generated text that is copied without proper attribution may still be classified as a violation.

• Manuscripts under review are confidential. Reviewers must not upload the manuscript, any part of it, or their review report to generative AI tools.
• Scholarly assessment must come from the reviewer's own judgment. AI must not be used to replace that assessment.
• Reviewers who are unsure about the use of a particular tool must consult the editors first.

• Editorial decisions (accept, revise, or reject) are always made by humans, not by AI.
• Editors maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and do not upload them to AI services that risk leaking their content.
• Similarity and AI-generated text detection tools are used only as aids. Their results are not the sole basis for judgment, because such tools can be wrong. Editors still perform manual assessment and give authors the opportunity to provide an explanation.

If undisclosed AI use or a violation of this policy is found, the editors will request a written explanation from the author and assess the evidence objectively. Actions that may be taken include:

• asking the author to complete the disclosure and revise the manuscript;
• rejecting a manuscript that is still under review;
• issuing a correction or retraction of an already published article, in accordance with the Corrections and Retractions page;
• imposing sanctions on the author as stipulated in the Plagiarism Policy and Publication Ethics, including notifying the author's institution in cases of serious violations.

AI technology is evolving rapidly. Kamane: Journal of Community Service will review this policy periodically and update it when necessary, referring to developments in COPE and ICMJE guidance and best practices in scholarly publishing. Questions about this policy may be sent to the editors via the Contact Us menu.

By submitting a manuscript to Kamane: Journal of Community Service, authors declare that they have read, understood, and agreed to this artificial intelligence usage policy, which complements the provisions on the Publication Ethics, Plagiarism Policy, and Peer Review Process pages.