Publication Ethics

HERMENEUTIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is committed to the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and transparency in scholarly publishing. The journal follows best practices consistent with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).

1) Core Principles

  • Integrity: Accurate reporting of methods, data, analyses, and interpretations.

  • Originality: Only unpublished, non-redundant work that is not under consideration elsewhere.

  • Transparency: Full disclosure of methods, data (where legally/ethically possible), funding, and competing interests.

  • Fairness & Confidentiality: Unbiased editorial and peer review; protection of identities and privileged information.

  • Compliance: Ethical approval and legal compliance for studies involving human subjects, sensitive data, or case materials.

2) Duties of Editors

  • Impartial Decisions: Evaluate manuscripts on scholarly merit, relevance, and legal/ethical compliance—independent of authors’ identity or background.

  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts and reviewer identities are confidential; no use of unpublished material without written consent.

  • Conflict of Interest (COI): Editors must recuse themselves from handling papers where a COI exists (e.g., recent collaboration, institutional or personal ties).

  • Peer Review Management: Ensure rigorous double-blind review by qualified experts; prevent coercive citation and ensure respectful, constructive feedback.

  • Misconduct Handling: Follow COPE flowcharts for suspected misconduct (plagiarism, data manipulation, authorship disputes). Implement corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when warranted.

  • Transparency: Clearly communicate decisions, revision expectations, and appeal procedures.

3) Duties of Reviewers

  • Objectivity & Timeliness: Provide fair, evidence-based reviews within the agreed timeline; decline if unqualified or unavailable.

  • Confidentiality: Do not share, store, or use manuscript content for personal advantage.

  • COI Disclosure: Report any potential COI and decline review if it compromises impartiality.

  • Constructive Feedback: Critique the work, not the authors; cite relevant work to strengthen scholarship and flag substantial overlap or ethical concerns.

4) Duties of Authors

  • Original Work & Redundancy: Submit only original work; avoid duplicate or overlapping publication (“salami slicing”). All prior dissemination (preprints, theses, working papers) must be disclosed.

  • Authorship: List as authors only those who made substantial contributions to conception/design, analysis/interpretation, drafting/revision, and who approve the final version and accept accountability. Others should be acknowledged.

  • Data & Transparency: Maintain accurate records; provide data or legal sources/case materials upon request where permissible. Disclose methods, funding, and relevant registrations.

  • Ethics & Legal Compliance: For human participants or sensitive legal cases, state ethical approvals, consent/assent, anonymization, and data protection safeguards.

  • COI & Funding: Declare all financial and non-financial COIs and funding sources.

  • Citations & Permissions: Cite prior work appropriately; obtain permissions for copyrighted materials if applicable.

  • Use of Generative AI/Assistive Tools:

    • AI tools must not be listed as authors.

    • Any use (editing, translation, idea generation, code, figure creation) must be disclosed in the manuscript (Methods/Acknowledgments), with authors taking full responsibility for accuracy, originality, and rights.

    • Do not input confidential or legally sensitive data into public AI tools without appropriate safeguards.

5) Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

  • All submissions undergo similarity checks. Textual plagiarism, self-plagiarism, image reuse without attribution, and misappropriation of ideas are grounds for rejection/retraction. Minor overlap must be properly cited and justified.

6) Research Misconduct

  • Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data/figures/tables/citations is prohibited.

  • When credible concerns arise, the editors will seek clarification and, if needed, contact institutions/funders. Sanctions may include rejection, retraction, author bans for a period, and notification to institutions.

7) Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

  • Corrections (Errata): For honest errors that do not invalidate findings.

  • Retractions: For unreliable findings, plagiarism, unethical research, or legal issues.

  • Expressions of Concern: When investigations are ongoing but concerns are serious.

  • All notices are linked to the original article and made freely accessible.

8) Appeals and Complaints

  • Authors may appeal editorial decisions with a reasoned letter addressing specific review points. A senior editor (or independent expert) will reassess; the decision after appeal is final.

  • Complaints about editorial conduct or ethics are investigated by the Editor-in-Chief per COPE guidance.

9) Data Protection and Confidentiality

  • Personal data and case details must be handled in accordance with applicable laws and ethical norms. Anonymize parties and redact sensitive identifiers unless explicit, documented permission is granted.

10) Post-Publication Discussion

  • The journal welcomes letters/commentaries that responsibly critique published work. Substantive, evidence-based exchanges may be published at the editors’ discretion, with author replies invited.