Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statements

The Indonesian Journal of Criminal Law Studies (IJCLS) is an international peer-reviewed journal published twice a year in print and online. This statement establishes the ethical principles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the journal's publication process, including authors, the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, peer reviewers, and the publisher.

IJCLS is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and quality of scholarly publishing. This policy is informed by the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including its Core Practices, ethical guidelines for peer reviewers, and guidance on publication corrections and retractions.

All parties are expected to act honestly, fairly, impartially, and responsibly throughout submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, publication, and post-publication processes.

1. Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

The publication of research in a peer-reviewed journal contributes to the development and dissemination of reliable scholarly knowledge. Editorial decisions and publication practices must therefore uphold academic integrity, respect intellectual property, and promote responsible research and reporting.

IJCLS is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, relevance to the journal's focus and scope, methodological or analytical quality, and compliance with applicable ethical standards. Advertising, reprints, publication charges, or other commercial interests must not improperly influence editorial decisions.

2. Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

2.1. Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief, together with the relevant editors, is responsible for determining which submitted manuscripts are suitable for publication. Decisions must be based on the manuscript's scholarly quality, originality, relevance, contribution to the field, reviewer evaluations, and compliance with the journal's policies. Editors may consult peer reviewers or other editorial advisers when necessary.

Editorial decisions must also take account of applicable legal and ethical requirements, including plagiarism, copyright infringement, defamation, research misconduct, and other matters affecting the reliability or lawful publication of scholarly work.

2.2. Fair Play and Editorial Independence

Editors must evaluate manuscripts objectively and without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, disability, political opinion, or other personal characteristics unrelated to scholarly merit.

Editorial decisions must remain independent of commercial, financial, institutional, or personal pressures. No manuscript should receive preferential or adverse treatment because of the author's identity, institutional affiliation, or relationship with the journal or publisher.

2.3. Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related communications. Manuscript information may be shared only with the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, editorial advisers, the publisher, or other persons who require access for legitimate editorial purposes.

Unpublished information, data, arguments, and ideas obtained through editorial handling must not be used for personal or professional advantage without the author's express written permission.

2.4. Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose and appropriately manage actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. An editor who has a conflict relating to a manuscript must not participate in its assessment or decision-making and must arrange for an independent editor to handle the submission.

Editors must not use confidential manuscript information for their own research or allow personal, academic, financial, or institutional interests to compromise editorial impartiality.

2.5. Complaints, Appeals, and Research Integrity

Editors must handle complaints, appeals, and allegations of publication misconduct fairly, consistently, and confidentially. Concerns must be assessed on the available evidence, and relevant parties must have a reasonable opportunity to respond. Where necessary, editors may seek independent expert advice or refer the matter to the relevant institution. Complaints about editorial conduct must be assessed impartially and must not result in retaliation against complainants acting in good faith.

3. Duties and Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

3.1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewers assist editors in evaluating the scholarly quality, originality, relevance, methodology, legal analysis, use of sources, and contribution of submitted manuscripts. Constructive feedback should help authors improve their work and support informed editorial decisions.

3.2. Competence and Promptness

Reviewers should accept assignments only when they have appropriate expertise and can complete the review within the agreed timeframe. A reviewer who lacks the necessary expertise, identifies a conflict of interest, or cannot complete the review promptly must notify the editor and decline or withdraw from the assignment as appropriate.

3.3. Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not disclose, reproduce, distribute, or discuss a manuscript with unauthorized persons. They must not use unpublished information, data, or ideas obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.

3.4. Objectivity and Constructive Evaluation

Reviews must be objective, evidence-based, and expressed in clear and respectful language. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should provide sufficient reasoning and supporting evidence for their comments and recommendations.

3.5. Acknowledgement of Sources and Research Concerns

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited and notify the editor of substantial similarities, possible plagiarism, redundant publication, questionable data, or other concerns that may affect the integrity of the manuscript.

3.6. Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest, including financial, personal, professional, academic, collaborative, or institutional relationships that could compromise impartiality. Reviewers must decline assignments when such conflicts prevent an objective assessment.

4. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

4.1. Reporting Standards and Accuracy

Authors must present their research, legal analysis, methods, evidence, and conclusions accurately and transparently. Manuscripts must contain sufficient explanation and references to allow readers to understand and critically assess the work. Fabricated, falsified, misleading, or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unacceptable research or publication conduct.

4.2. Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must submit original work and appropriately cite or quote the words, ideas, data, and other contributions of others. Plagiarism, inappropriate reuse of one's own previously published work, and misleading presentation of another person's work as one's own are prohibited.

Manuscripts are subject to the journal's plagiarism screening and assessment procedures. Suspected plagiarism or other originality concerns will be handled in accordance with the IJCLS Plagiarism Policy and applicable research integrity procedures.

4.3. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. A manuscript that substantially overlaps with previously published work must be transparently disclosed and appropriately cited. Redundant publication, duplicate publication, and undisclosed overlapping submissions are unacceptable.

4.4. Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must provide appropriate citations for all sources that materially inform their research, analysis, arguments, and conclusions. References must be accurate and must not be manipulated to inappropriately increase citations to particular authors, journals, or institutions.

4.5. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, the research or analysis, or the interpretation of its findings, and who have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript and approved the final version for publication.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all eligible co-authors are included, that no ineligible individuals are listed as authors, and that all co-authors have approved the final manuscript and agreed to its submission. Contributions that do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

Authorship disputes, requests to change authorship, and concerns about honorary, ghost, or otherwise inappropriate authorship will be assessed by the journal in accordance with its editorial procedures and relevant COPE guidance.

4.6. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence their research, analysis, or conclusions. All relevant funding sources and the role of funders in the research, if any, must be declared. Authors must explicitly state when they have no conflicts of interest to disclose, in accordance with the journal's applicable submission requirements.

4.7. Research Ethics and Supporting Evidence

Authors must comply with applicable legal and ethical requirements for their research. Where relevant, they must obtain appropriate research ethics approval, informed consent, permission to use protected materials, and authorization to access or disclose confidential data. Authors must provide supporting information or evidence when reasonably requested by the editors to assess the integrity of the work.

4.8. Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submissions, including material produced or assisted by artificial intelligence tools. Any use of such tools must be disclosed in accordance with the applicable IJCLS policy. AI tools must not be listed as authors, and authors must verify the accuracy of generated content, citations, legal authorities, and references.

4.9. Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the journal and cooperate with the editors in investigating the issue and determining appropriate corrective action. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the problem, this may include a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction.

5. Duties and Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher supports the Editor-in-Chief and editorial team in maintaining ethical publishing practices, protecting editorial independence, and preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. The publisher must not interfere improperly with editorial decisions based on scholarly merit.

The publisher and journal management are expected to support the fair and consistent handling of ethical complaints, research misconduct allegations, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions. Relevant editorial policies and publication practices should be made publicly available and reviewed when necessary.

Commercial considerations, including publication fees, advertising, reprints, and other revenue, must not determine whether a manuscript is accepted, rejected, corrected, or retracted. Editorial and publication processes must be administered transparently and in accordance with the journal's published policies.

6. Handling Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct

IJCLS takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether they arise before or after publication. Potential misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, citation manipulation, redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, compromised peer review, undisclosed material conflicts of interest, and serious breaches of research ethics.

Allegations should be supported by relevant information or evidence wherever possible. The journal will assess the concerns fairly, preserve confidentiality as appropriate, and give relevant parties a reasonable opportunity to respond. Where necessary, the journal may consult independent experts or refer the matter to the author's institution or another competent body.

Editorial action will depend on the nature of the concern and the available evidence. Possible outcomes include rejection of a submission, a request for clarification or further evidence, correction of the published record, publication of an expression of concern, retraction, or referral to an appropriate institution. Detailed procedures are set out in the IJCLS Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy and Correction and Retraction Policy.

7. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Discussion

IJCLS recognizes its responsibility to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the published scholarly record. Significant errors, credible concerns about research integrity, and substantive scholarly disputes may require editorial assessment after publication.

Where appropriate, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction notice. Such notices should clearly identify the affected article and explain the reason for the editorial action. The original article and its associated notice should remain linked where practicable to ensure transparency and traceability.

The journal also supports appropriate post-publication scholarly discussion and gives authors a reasonable opportunity to respond to substantive criticisms. These matters are handled under the IJCLS Post-Publication Discussion Policy and Correction and Retraction Policy. Retraction is intended to correct the scholarly record, not merely to punish an author.

8. Ethical Oversight and Compliance

Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher must observe applicable ethical standards relevant to the research and publication process. Where relevant, this includes responsible treatment of human participants, protection of confidential information, appropriate consent and authorization, respect for intellectual property, and compliance with applicable legal and institutional requirements.

All parties are expected to cooperate in good faith with reasonable editorial inquiries concerning publication ethics. Failure to comply with this policy may lead to appropriate editorial action under the relevant IJCLS policies and procedures.

9. Related IJCLS Policies

This statement should be read together with the following IJCLS policies, where applicable:

• Peer Review Policy and Process
• Plagiarism Policy
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy
• Post-Publication Discussion Policy
• Correction and Retraction Policy
• Copyright Policy
• License Policy

10. Reference to COPE Guidelines