Submissions

Author Guidelines

Article Types

Research articles present original doctrinal, empirical, socio-legal, or comparative research and are 6,000 to 10,000 words long, including footnotes but excluding the abstract and bibliography.

Review articles critically synthesise existing scholarship on a defined legal question and follow the same length limits.

Language

Manuscripts are written in clear academic English. Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have their manuscripts proofread before submission. The editors may request a proofreading certificate before acceptance.

Manuscript Template

Manuscripts must be prepared using the JLR Manuscript Template (Microsoft Word). Manuscripts that do not follow the template will be returned to the authors before review.

Manuscript Structure

Title. Concise and informative, no more than 20 words, and reflecting the main argument of the article.

Authors and affiliations. Full names without academic titles, followed by the institution, city, and country of each author, the institutional email address, and the ORCID iD. The corresponding author must be indicated. The submission file for review must be anonymised (see Peer Review below).

Abstract. A single paragraph of 200 to 250 words, without citations, stating the research problem, objective, method, main findings, and conclusion.

Keywords. Three to five keywords or phrases, separated by semicolons.

Introduction. Sets out the background and urgency of the problem, reviews relevant previous studies (state of the art), identifies the research gap, and states the research question and the contribution of the article.

Method. Explains the type of research, the approaches used (for example statutory, conceptual, case, or comparative), the legal materials or data, and how they were analysed. Empirical research must also describe the location, informants, data collection, and ethical approval.

Results and Discussion. Presents the analysis in sub-sections. The discussion should engage critically with existing scholarship and explain how the findings differ from or add to previous studies. Manuscripts that merely describe legislation or court decisions without critical analysis will not be accepted.

Conclusion. Answers the research question concisely, without repeating the abstract, and may state implications or recommendations for legal reform.

Declarations. Placed before the bibliography (see Required Declarations below).

Bibliography. Lists all sources cited in the footnotes.

Citation and References

JLR uses the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (notes and bibliography), with footnotes. Authors must use a reference manager such as Mendeley or Zotero. Each manuscript should cite at least 25 references, at least 60 percent of which are journal articles and most of which were published within the last ten years. Journal articles must include a DOI where one exists. Legislation is cited with its official number, year, and the State Gazette number.

Examples:

Journal article (footnote): Hari Sutra Disemadi, "Contextualization of Legal Protection of Intellectual Property in Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia," Law Reform 18, no. 1 (2022): 95, https://doi.org/10.14710/lr.v18i1.42568.

Journal article (bibliography): Disemadi, Hari Sutra. "Contextualization of Legal Protection of Intellectual Property in Micro Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia." Law Reform 18, no. 1 (2022): 89–110. https://doi.org/10.14710/lr.v18i1.42568.

Book (bibliography): Mertokusumo, Sudikno. Penemuan Hukum: Sebuah Pengantar. Yogyakarta: Liberty, 2007.

Legislation (bibliography): Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia 2023 Number 1).

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures are numbered consecutively, referred to in the text, and given a title and source. Tables use horizontal lines only. Figures must be legible and at least 300 dpi.

Required Declarations

Every manuscript must include the following statements before the bibliography:

• Author Contributions: the contribution of each author, using the CRediT taxonomy.
• Funding: the funding source and grant number, or a statement that the research received no external funding.
• Conflict of Interest: any financial or personal interest that could influence the work, or a statement that there is none.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence: whether and how generative AI tools were used, in line with the AI Policy.
• Ethical Approval: for research involving human participants, the name of the approving ethics committee and the approval number, or a statement of compliance with research ethics.
• Data Availability: where the data supporting the findings can be accessed, in line with the Data Availability Policy.

Authorship

A manuscript may have up to five authors. Every person listed as an author must have made a substantial contribution to the research and the writing and must approve the final version. Collaboration between authors from different institutions and countries is encouraged. Changes to the author list after submission require the written consent of all authors.

Similarity Check

All submissions are checked with Turnitin. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index above 20 percent, or with substantial overlap from a single source, are returned to the authors or rejected. Self-plagiarism and redundant publication are not permitted.

Peer Review

JLR uses double-blind peer review. Authors must remove names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and identifying self-citations from the review file. Each manuscript that passes the initial editorial screening is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Details are available in the Peer Review Policy.