Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

1. General Guidef Law and Criminology

accepts scholarly manuscripts in the fields of law, criminology, criminal justice, criminal policy, human rights, victimology, penology, cybercrime, forensic studies, juvenile justice, sociology of law, and other related interdisciplinary areas.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original, have not been previously published, and must not be under consideration by another journal or publisher. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are free from plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other violations of publication ethics.

Each manuscript must present a clearly formulated legal or criminological issue, an appropriate theoretical or conceptual foundation, a transparent research method or legal research approach, systematic analysis, relevant findings, and a meaningful contribution to legal scholarship, criminological knowledge, policy development, or professional practice.

Authors must ensure that the manuscript complies with applicable ethical standards, including the protection of research participants, confidentiality, informed consent, data integrity, and respect for intellectual property rights.

2. Types of Manuscripts

The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:

2.1 Original Research Article

An Original Research Article presents findings from empirical or field-based research using quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, socio-legal, criminological, case study, comparative, historical, or other appropriate research designs.

2.2 Doctrinal or Normative Legal Research Article

A Doctrinal or Normative Legal Research Article examines legal principles, legislation, court decisions, legal doctrines, legal concepts, and regulatory frameworks through statutory, conceptual, case, comparative, historical, or philosophical approaches.

2.3 Review Article

A Review Article provides a critical and systematic analysis of previous studies, legal developments, theories, policies, or contemporary debates in law, criminology, and criminal justice.

2.4 Conceptual Article

A Conceptual Article develops or evaluates legal theories, criminological concepts, analytical models, policy frameworks, or critical perspectives without necessarily presenting original empirical data.

2.5 Case Note or Legal Commentary

A Case Note or Legal Commentary critically examines a court decision, new legislation, regulatory development, criminal justice policy, or significant legal event. The article must provide an original and academically grounded analysis rather than merely describing the case or regulation.

2.6 Policy Analysis

A Policy Analysis evaluates existing or proposed laws, criminal justice policies, law enforcement strategies, crime prevention programs, sentencing policies, or institutional practices and provides evidence-based recommendations.

3. Manuscript Structure

The manuscript must be organized systematically according to its type. The general structure is as follows:

3.1 Title

The title must be concise, specific, informative, and accurately represent the main issue addressed in the manuscript. It should normally contain no more than 20 words and should avoid uncommon abbreviations, overly broad terminology, and unnecessary phrases.

3.2 Author Names and Affiliations

Authors must provide:

• Full names without academic or professional titles;

• Institutional affiliation;

• City and country of the institution;

• Active email address;

• ORCID identifier, when available; and

• Identification of the corresponding author.

The order of authors must reflect their actual contributions to the manuscript and must be agreed upon by all authors before submission.

3.3 Abstract

The abstract must be written in English and contain between 150 and 250 words. It must be presented in a single paragraph and briefly explain:

• The background or legal issue;

• The objective of the study;

• The research method or legal approach;

• The principal findings or arguments; and

• The conclusion or implications.

The abstract must not contain citations, footnotes, tables, figures, or uncommon abbreviations.

3.4 Keywords

Authors must provide three to five keywords representing the principal concepts discussed in the manuscript. Keywords must be written in lowercase, except for proper nouns, and separated by semicolons.

Example:

criminal law; restorative justice; victim protection; juvenile offenders; criminal policy

3.5 Introduction

The introduction must clearly present:

• The background of the study;

• The legal, criminological, or social problem;

• Relevant previous research;

• The research gap;

• The novelty or originality of the study;

• The research question or problem formulation; and

• The objective and expected contribution of the study.

The introduction must explain why the topic is important and how the manuscript contributes to the development of law, criminology, criminal justice policy, or professional practice.

3.6 Literature Review or Theoretical Framework

The literature review may be integrated into the introduction or presented as a separate section. It must discuss relevant theories, legal doctrines, concepts, previous research, statutory provisions, and scholarly debates that support the analysis.

Authors should not merely summarize previous publications. The literature review must critically identify areas of agreement, disagreement, limitation, and research gaps.

3.7 Research Method

The research method must be explained clearly and sufficiently to allow readers to evaluate the validity of the study.

For doctrinal or normative legal research, authors should explain:

• The type of legal research;

• The statutory, conceptual, case, comparative, historical, philosophical, or other approaches used;

• The sources of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials;

• The method of collecting legal materials; and

• The method of legal interpretation and analysis.

For empirical or socio-legal research, authors should explain:

• The research design;

• The research location or setting;

• The population, participants, informants, or sample;

• Sampling procedures;

• Research instruments;

• Data collection techniques;

• Data analysis procedures;

• Validity, reliability, or trustworthiness procedures; and

• Research ethics.

Research involving human participants must address informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, anonymity, data protection, and ethical approval when required.

3.8 Results

The results section must present the findings systematically, clearly, and objectively. Findings may be presented through narrative explanations, tables, figures, diagrams, or other appropriate forms.

Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively, provided with clear titles, and referred to in the text. Authors should emphasize the most important findings instead of repeating all information contained in tables or figures.

For doctrinal legal research, the results may be integrated with the analysis and discussion section.

3.9 Discussion

The discussion must interpret and critically analyze the findings, legal materials, court decisions, statutory provisions, criminological data, or policy evidence.

The discussion should:

• Answer the research questions;

• Relate the findings to relevant theories and previous studies;

• Compare the applicable legal provisions or practices;

• Explain theoretical and practical implications;

• Identify contradictions, weaknesses, or regulatory gaps;

• Demonstrate the originality of the manuscript;

• Discuss the limitations of the study; and

• Present possible directions for future research or legal reform.

The discussion must go beyond merely restating the results.

3.10 Conclusion

The conclusion must directly answer the research objectives or questions and summarize the most important findings or legal arguments. It should be written concisely and should not merely repeat the abstract or discussion.

The conclusion may include implications, recommendations, policy proposals, suggestions for legal reform, crime prevention strategies, or directions for future research. New data, citations, and arguments that have not been discussed previously should not be introduced in this section.

3.11 Acknowledgment

An acknowledgment may be included when the research received financial support, institutional assistance, data access, technical support, or other meaningful contributions from individuals or organizations that do not qualify for authorship.

The funding institution, grant number, or funding scheme should be stated when applicable.

3.12 Author Contributions

Authors are encouraged to explain the contribution of each author, particularly for manuscripts written by multiple authors. Contributions may include conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data analysis, writing, reviewing, editing, supervision, and project administration.

3.13 Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other interests that could influence the research, interpretation, or publication of the manuscript.

When no conflict exists, authors may use the following statement:

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

3.14 References

All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and every source included in the reference list must be cited in the manuscript.

The journal uses the American Psychological Association 7th Edition—APA 7th Edition reference style.

4. Citation Style

The Journal of Law and Criminology uses the APA 7th Edition author-date citation system. Authors are strongly encouraged to use reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote, or other appropriate applications.

Examples of parenthetical citations:

• One author: (Garland, 2021)

• Two authors: (Tonry & Farrington, 2020)

• Three or more authors: (Rahman et al., 2024)

• Multiple sources: (Garland, 2021; Rahman et al., 2024)

• Institution as author: (United Nations, 2023)

Example of a narrative citation:

Garland (2021) explains that criminal justice policies are closely connected to broader social and political changes.

Direct quotations must include the page number:

(Garland, 2021, p. 45)

When citing legislation, regulations, treaties, or court decisions, authors must use a consistent citation format and provide sufficient information to identify the legal source.

5. Reference Style

References must comply with APA 7th Edition. At least 80% of the references should preferably consist of scholarly journal articles published within the last 10 years, except for classical theories, foundational legal texts, landmark decisions, or historical sources that remain relevant.

Authors are encouraged to use:

• Articles from reputable international journals;

• Articles from accredited national journals;

• Academic books and book chapters;

• Legislation and official regulations;

• Court decisions;

• International treaties and conventions;

• Official government reports;

• Reports from recognized international organizations;

• Conference proceedings; and

• Reliable institutional datasets.

Digital Object Identifier links must be provided whenever available. References from anonymous websites, personal blogs, Wikipedia, commercial content, and unreliable non-academic sources should be avoided unless such sources constitute the object of the research.

5.1 Journal Article

Garland, D. (2021). Penal control and the contemporary criminal justice system. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 111(2), 245–270. https://doi.org/xxxxx

5.2 Book

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

5.3 Book Chapter

Smith, J. A. (2022). Restorative justice and victim participation. In R. Brown (Ed.), Contemporary perspectives on criminal justice (pp. 75–94). Routledge.

5.4 Conference Proceeding

Rahman, A., & Putri, D. (2024). Cybercrime regulation and digital evidence in Southeast Asia. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Law and Criminal Justice (pp. 110–121). Academic Press.

5.5 Legislation

Republic of Indonesia. (2009). Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics.

5.6 Court Decision

Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia. (2023). Decision Number XX/PUU-XX/2023.

5.7 International Convention

United Nations. (2000). United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

5.8 Institutional Report

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2023). Global study on homicide. United Nations.

5.9 Website or Online Document

International Criminal Court. (2024). Understanding the International Criminal Court. Name of institution and complete URL.

Authors must verify the accuracy and accessibility of every reference before submission.

6. Manuscript Format

The manuscript must comply with the following technical requirements:

• File format: Microsoft Word, .doc or .docx;

• Paper size: A4;

• Font: Times New Roman;

• Main text font size: 12 pt;

• Line spacing: 1.15 or 1.5;

• Margins: 3 cm on all sides;

• Manuscript length: approximately 4,000–8,000 words, including references;

• Text alignment: justified;

• Paragraph indentation and spacing: consistent throughout the manuscript;

• Tables and figures: inserted in the relevant section of the text;

• Citation and reference style: APA 7th Edition;

• File name: should contain the corresponding author’s surname and a shortened manuscript title; and

• Language: English or Bahasa Indonesia.

Tables must be editable and must not be submitted as screenshots or image files. Figures, maps, charts, and diagrams must have sufficient resolution, clear labels, and readable text.

Every table and figure must:

• Be numbered consecutively;

• Have an informative title;

• Indicate the source when adapted or reproduced;

• Be discussed in the manuscript; and

• Comply with copyright and permission requirements.

Authors must remove unnecessary personal information from the manuscript file when the journal applies anonymous peer review.

7. Language Policy

The journal accepts manuscripts written in English or Bahasa Indonesia.

Manuscripts must use clear, formal, consistent, and academically appropriate language. Authors are responsible for grammar, spelling, terminology, punctuation, and readability.

For manuscripts written in Bahasa Indonesia, the title, abstract, and keywords must also be provided in English. Authors submitting manuscripts in English are encouraged to use professional proofreading or academic language-editing services before submission.

Legal terms, Latin expressions, foreign terminology, and abbreviations must be used consistently. Abbreviations must be defined when first mentioned unless they are widely recognized.

The editorial team may request language revision when a manuscript does not meet the journal’s academic writing standards.

8. Manuscript Template

Authors are required to prepare their manuscripts using the official Journal of Law and Criminology Manuscript Template.

The template provides the journal’s required format for:

• Title;

• Author identity and affiliation;

• Abstract;

• Keywords;

• Introduction;

• Literature review or theoretical framework;

• Research method;

• Results;

• Discussion;

• Conclusion;

• Acknowledgment;

• Author contributions;

• Conflict of interest; and

• References.

Manuscripts that do not follow the official template or technical requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before editorial screening or peer review.

9. Similarity and Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts will be screened using plagiarism-detection software before entering the peer-review process.

The maximum permitted similarity index is 20%, excluding the reference list, properly cited quotations, legal titles, statutory language, standard methodological terminology, and other unavoidable similarities.

A similarity score below the maximum limit does not automatically confirm that a manuscript is free from plagiarism. Editors will also examine the context, distribution, and sources of similarity.

Manuscripts may be rejected when they contain:

• Direct plagiarism;

• Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism;

• Inappropriate paraphrasing;

• Unattributed translations;

• Self-plagiarism;

• Duplicate or redundant publication;

• Citation manipulation;

• Fabricated or falsified data; or

• Other unethical publication practices.

Authors may be asked to revise manuscripts with unacceptable similarity before further editorial consideration.

10. Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors must ensure that:

1. The manuscript is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere.

2. The manuscript falls within the journal’s aim and scope.

3. All authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

4. The manuscript follows the official journal template.

5. The manuscript is submitted in .doc or .docx format.

6. The title, abstract, and keywords are complete and accurate.

7. Author names, affiliations, countries, email addresses, and ORCID identifiers are entered correctly.

8. The corresponding author is clearly identified.

9. The research objectives, methods, findings, and conclusions are clearly presented.

10. Ethical approval and informed consent information are provided when required.

11. All citations appear in the reference list.

12. All references are cited in the manuscript.

13. References comply with APA 7th Edition.

14. DOI links are included whenever available.

15. Tables and figures are editable, numbered, titled, and discussed in the text.

16. Permission has been obtained for copyrighted materials when required.

17. The similarity index complies with the journal policy.

18. Conflicts of interest and funding sources have been disclosed.

19. The manuscript does not contain plagiarism or other ethical violations.

20. All metadata entered into OJS corresponds with the submitted manuscript.

11. How to Submit a Manuscript through OJS

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s Online Journal System. Email submissions are not processed unless specifically requested by the editorial office.

Step 1: Register or Log In

Authors must create an account on the journal website. Authors who already have an account may log in using their registered username and password.

Authors must ensure that the “Author” role is selected during registration.

Step 2: Start a New Submission

After logging in, select New Submission to begin the submission process.

Step 3: Select the Appropriate Section

Choose the most suitable manuscript category, such as:

• Original Research Article;

• Doctrinal or Normative Legal Research Article;

• Review Article;

• Conceptual Article;

• Case Note or Legal Commentary; or

• Policy Analysis.

Step 4: Confirm the Submission Requirements

Read and confirm all requirements concerning originality, manuscript format, ethical compliance, reference style, similarity limits, and copyright.

Step 5: Upload the Manuscript

Upload the manuscript in Microsoft Word format. The uploaded document must follow the official journal template.

Authors should remove identifying information from the review file when anonymous peer review is applied.

Step 6: Enter the Metadata

Authors must enter complete and accurate metadata, including:

• Manuscript title;

• Abstract;

• Keywords;

• Author names;

• Author order;

• Affiliations;

• Countries;

• Email addresses;

• ORCID identifiers;

• Funding information; and

• References.

All authors listed in the manuscript must also be entered into the OJS metadata.

Step 7: Upload Supplementary Files

Supplementary materials may be uploaded when relevant, including:

• Research instruments;

• Anonymized datasets;

• Ethical clearance documents;

• Informed consent forms;

• Permission letters;

• Additional tables or figures;

• Conflict-of-interest statements; or

• Cover letters.

Supplementary files containing confidential or personally identifiable information must not be uploaded without appropriate protection and authorization.

Step 8: Review and Confirm the Submission

Authors must review all files and metadata before selecting Finish Submission. The corresponding author will receive a submission confirmation through OJS or the registered email address.

Step 9: Monitor the Submission

Authors can monitor the manuscript’s editorial status through their OJS account. Editorial decisions, reviewer comments, revision requests, proofreading materials, and publication notifications will be communicated through OJS and the registered email address.

12. Editorial and Peer-Review Process

Every manuscript submitted to the Journal of Law and Criminology undergoes an initial editorial screening.

During this stage, the editorial team evaluates:

• Relevance to the journal’s aim and scope;

• Originality and scholarly contribution;

• Compliance with the manuscript template;

• Quality of academic writing;

• Research and publication ethics;

• Completeness of manuscript components;

• Similarity screening results; and

• Accuracy of submission metadata.

Manuscripts that do not meet the minimum requirements may be declined or returned for technical revision before peer review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will be assigned to qualified reviewers with expertise relevant to the manuscript’s subject. The peer-review process evaluates the manuscript’s originality, theoretical foundation, methodology, legal reasoning, data validity, analytical depth, ethical compliance, and contribution to law or criminology.

Authors may be required to submit revisions based on the reviewers’ and editors’ comments. A revised manuscript should be accompanied by a detailed response explaining how each comment has been addressed.

The final publication decision is made by the editor and may include:

• Accept submission;

• Revisions required;

• Resubmit for review;

• Decline submission; or

• Submit elsewhere.

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

13. Article Processing Charge

Information concerning submission fees, article processing charges, publication fees, or other author charges is provided separately on the Author Fees page of the journal website.

Authors must review the applicable fee policy before submission. Payment of a publication fee, when applicable, does not influence the editorial or peer-review decision.

The journal does not request payment before a manuscript has completed the required editorial evaluation unless a specific submission or review fee is explicitly stated on the journal website.

Any waiver or fee-reduction policy, when available, must be requested according to the procedure established by the publisher or editorial office.

14. Copyright and License

Authors retain the copyright to their published articles, subject to the publishing agreement and license stated on the journal website.

Published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons license adopted by the Journal of Law and Criminology. The applicable license determines the conditions for reading, downloading, copying, distributing, adapting, and reusing the published work.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• The manuscript does not infringe the copyright of another party;

• Written permission has been obtained for copyrighted material when required;

• Personal and confidential information is appropriately protected;

• Images, tables, maps, figures, and instruments from other sources are correctly attributed;

• All co-authors have approved the final manuscript; and

• The article does not violate privacy, intellectual property, or other legal rights.

By submitting a manuscript, authors grant the journal permission to process, review, edit, publish, preserve, and distribute the work in accordance with the journal’s copyright and licensing policies.

15. Contact

Questions concerning manuscript preparation, submission, revision, publication, or technical problems should be addressed to the editorial office of the Journal of Law and Criminology through the official email address or contact information displayed on the journal website.

Authors should include the manuscript title and submission identification number in correspondence concerning an existing submission.