Journal Policy

Lentera Masyarakat Hukum is committed to publishing high-quality, original, ethical, and socially relevant scholarship on law, society, and community-based legal intervention. The journal seeks to maintain a transparent, rigorous, inclusive, and internationally oriented publication environment while ensuring the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record.

This Journal Policy establishes the general principles governing manuscript submission, editorial assessment, peer review, publication, research integrity, and post-publication practices.

1. Scope and Editorial Focus

The journal publishes scholarly works that examine the relationship between law, society, communities, and legal intervention. Contributions may address legal empowerment, access to justice, community-based legal practices, socio-legal studies, human rights, restorative justice, customary and indigenous law, legal technology, public legal education, legal reform, and other related areas.

The journal welcomes interdisciplinary and comparative approaches that contribute to broader scholarly discussions and demonstrate relevance beyond a single local context.

2. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, methodological rigor, ethical integrity, and contribution of a manuscript.

Editorial decisions must not be influenced by:

  • authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, political views, or institutional affiliation;

  • personal relationships;

  • commercial interests;

  • funding sources;

  • government or institutional pressure; or

  • other considerations unrelated to the academic merits of the manuscript.

The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board retain independent authority over editorial and publication decisions.

3. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's designated submission system in accordance with the Author Guidelines.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • the work is original;

  • the manuscript has not been published previously;

  • the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere;

  • all authors have approved the submission;

  • appropriate sources and contributions have been acknowledged;

  • relevant ethical requirements have been fulfilled; and

  • the manuscript complies with the journal's publication policies.

The journal reserves the right to return manuscripts that do not comply with basic submission requirements before formal editorial assessment.

4. Article Types

The journal accepts the following principal article types:

  • Research Article

  • Review Article

  • Community-Based Practices

  • Case Note

Each article type is subject to specific scholarly and methodological expectations as described in the journal's Article Types and Publication Policy.

The Editorial Board may determine the final classification of a manuscript where the category selected by the author does not accurately reflect the manuscript's content.

5. Editorial Screening

All submissions undergo an initial editorial assessment before external peer review.

The screening considers:

  • relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope;

  • originality and scholarly contribution;

  • methodological and analytical quality;

  • compliance with manuscript requirements;

  • ethical considerations;

  • plagiarism or inappropriate text overlap; and

  • overall suitability for peer review.

The journal may reject manuscripts at the editorial screening stage when they fall outside the scope or do not meet the minimum standards required for further consideration.

6. Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass editorial screening are evaluated through the journal's double-blind peer review process.

Reviewers are selected based on relevant expertise, scholarly competence, independence, and absence of conflicts of interest.

Reviewers assess manuscripts based on criteria including:

  • originality;

  • significance and relevance;

  • theoretical or conceptual foundation;

  • methodological rigor;

  • quality of analysis and discussion;

  • accuracy of evidence and sources;

  • clarity and organization;

  • ethical integrity; and

  • contribution to legal scholarship, policy, practice, or society.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. Final publication decisions remain the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief or designated Editor.

7. Publication Ethics

The journal follows principles of responsible scholarly publishing and maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward serious forms of academic misconduct.

The journal addresses, among other matters:

  • plagiarism;

  • fabrication and falsification;

  • duplicate or redundant publication;

  • inappropriate authorship;

  • citation manipulation;

  • peer review manipulation;

  • undisclosed conflicts of interest;

  • unethical research involving human participants; and

  • misuse of confidential information.

Concerns regarding research or publication misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

8. Anti-Plagiarism

All manuscripts may undergo similarity or plagiarism screening during the editorial and publication process.

Similarity reports are interpreted contextually rather than solely on the basis of a numerical similarity percentage. The Editorial Board considers the nature, source, location, and significance of identified similarities.

Substantial plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other forms of inappropriate content reuse may result in rejection or post-publication corrective action.

The journal's detailed requirements are set out in the Anti-Plagiarism Policy.

9. Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

The journal permits responsible use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, subject to transparency and human accountability.

AI tools may assist with limited editorial or language-related tasks but cannot replace the authors' intellectual contribution or scholarly judgment.

AI systems:

  • cannot be listed as authors;

  • must not be used to fabricate data, citations, legal authorities, or research findings;

  • must not compromise confidential information; and

  • must not be used to circumvent academic integrity requirements.

Material use of generative AI must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies Policy.

10. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the work.

All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and accept responsibility for their contributions.

The journal does not permit:

  • honorary authorship;

  • gift authorship;

  • ghost authorship; or

  • exclusion of individuals who meet legitimate authorship criteria.

Changes to authorship after submission require appropriate justification and agreement from all affected authors, subject to editorial approval.

11. Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the publication process must disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

Conflicts may include financial, institutional, professional, personal, competitive, or other relationships that could affect impartiality.

Where a conflict could compromise independent judgment, the relevant individual should withdraw from the applicable editorial or review process.

12. Research Ethics and Community Protection

Research involving human participants, communities, personal information, or sensitive data must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements.

Authors are responsible for:

  • obtaining informed consent where appropriate;

  • protecting privacy and confidentiality;

  • minimizing potential harm;

  • respecting community autonomy and dignity; and

  • obtaining ethics approval or institutional authorization where required.

Particular care should be taken in research involving vulnerable or marginalized populations and indigenous or customary communities.

13. Data, Materials, and Research Transparency

Authors are encouraged to provide sufficient information to support the transparency and credibility of their research.

Where appropriate and ethically permissible, authors should make relevant research materials, data, instruments, or analytical procedures available to facilitate verification or further scholarly inquiry.

Data involving confidential, personally identifiable, legally protected, or otherwise sensitive information must not be disclosed where doing so would violate ethical, legal, or contractual obligations.

14. Funding and Financial Disclosure

Authors should disclose financial, institutional, or other forms of support relevant to the research or manuscript.

Funding information should identify the supporting organization and, where applicable, describe the funder's role in the research.

Funding or sponsorship must not influence the interpretation, reporting, peer review, or editorial decision concerning a manuscript.

15. Publication Frequency

Lentera Masyarakat Hukum is published quarterly, with four regular issues each year:

  • January

  • April

  • July

  • October

The journal may additionally publish Special Issues focusing on significant, emerging, or interdisciplinary themes within its scope.

Special Issue manuscripts are subject to the same standards of editorial assessment, peer review, publication ethics, and research integrity as manuscripts published in regular issues.

16. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal is committed to maintaining an accurate and reliable scholarly record.

Where a published article contains a significant error or integrity concern, the journal may issue:

  • a Correction;

  • an Expression of Concern; or

  • a Retraction.

The appropriate action depends on the nature and severity of the issue.

Corrections and retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the original publication to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

17. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit legitimate complaints or appeals concerning editorial procedures or decisions.

An appeal should provide a clear and substantive explanation identifying a significant procedural error, factual misunderstanding, or other relevant basis for reconsideration.

Disagreement with an editorial decision or reviewer opinion alone does not necessarily constitute sufficient grounds for an appeal.

Complaints and appeals will be handled fairly, confidentially, and independently where appropriate.

18. Confidentiality and Privacy

The journal protects the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, peer review reports, personal information, and other materials obtained through the editorial process.

Editors, reviewers, and other individuals involved in publication must not disclose or use confidential information for purposes unrelated to the editorial process.

Authors are similarly expected to protect confidential information obtained from research participants, communities, institutions, or other sources.

19. Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities

Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, confidential, and timely assessments and must disclose conflicts of interest.

Editors must ensure fair treatment of manuscripts, appropriate reviewer selection, confidentiality, editorial independence, and responsible handling of ethical concerns.

Editors and reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through the publication process for personal or professional advantage.

20. Accessibility and Dissemination

The journal aims to facilitate broad dissemination of scholarly knowledge concerning law and society.

Published articles should be accessible to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, civil society organizations, communities, and other relevant stakeholders, subject to the journal's applicable access, copyright, and licensing arrangements.

The journal encourages authors to communicate scholarly findings responsibly and in ways that may contribute to evidence-based legal practice and public understanding.

21. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain the rights specified under the journal's applicable copyright and licensing arrangements.

Authors must ensure that manuscripts do not infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties.

Any third-party material used in a manuscript must be appropriately attributed and, where necessary, used with permission.

22. Policy Compliance

Submission of a manuscript to Lentera Masyarakat Hukum constitutes acknowledgment that the authors have read and agree to comply with the journal's applicable policies.

The journal may update its policies periodically in response to developments in scholarly publishing, research ethics, technology, and international publication standards.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to take appropriate action when a manuscript or published article is found to violate the journal's policies or principles of academic integrity.

23. Commitment to Scholarly Integrity

Lentera Masyarakat Hukum is committed to building a scholarly publication environment characterized by:

  • academic excellence;

  • originality;

  • transparency;

  • methodological rigor;

  • ethical responsibility;

  • editorial independence;

  • fairness;

  • inclusivity; and

  • meaningful contribution to law and society.

The journal seeks not only to disseminate knowledge but also to strengthen the relationship between legal scholarship, community experience, legal practice, and social justice.