Author Guidelines

General

The Journal of Law & Social Politics (JLSP) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal publishing original research on the relationship between law and society, with particular emphasis on social justice, human rights, governance, and social change. The journal is interdisciplinary and welcomes work from law, sociology, political science, and related fields.

By submitting, the author(s) confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere until the review concludes or the manuscript is formally withdrawn. All submissions are checked for similarity using Turnitin and undergo double-blind peer review, so all author-identifying information must be removed from the main manuscript file.

Manuscripts must be prepared using the official JLSP manuscript template (English version) (Indonesian version) and submitted through the journal's online system. Any applicable article processing charge is described on the journal's Article Processing Charge page.

Language policy

JLSP accepts and publishes manuscripts in English or Indonesian. Each manuscript is published in a single language; the journal does not publish the same article in two languages.

Regardless of the language of the full text, every manuscript must include an English-language title, abstract, and keywords. Manuscripts written in Indonesian must therefore provide the abstract and keywords in both Indonesian and English. This ensures that all articles are discoverable and citable by the international scholarly community.

Authors are responsible for the language quality of their manuscript. Work written in a language that is not the author's first language should be proofread before submission. Language editing does not guarantee acceptance; editorial decisions rest solely on scholarly merit.

Scope restrictions

To maintain substantial academic contribution and clear novelty, and effective since July 2025, JLSP does not accept:

Bibliometric research,
COVID-19–related topics, or
Pure literature reviews (studies relying solely on literature without primary or secondary data).

Authors should align their topic and research design with these requirements before submitting.

Manuscript format

File type: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), prepared in the JLSP template.
Length: 4,000–7,000 words, including text, notes, tables, and figures, but excluding references and appendices.
Font and spacing: as specified in the manuscript template.
Structure: the manuscript must follow the section order in the template.
Appendices: optional, essential material only, not exceeding three pages.

Structure of the manuscript

The journal follows a narrative, argument-driven style. Sections must be written as coherent prose, not as bullet points or fragmented sub-headings, except where the template explicitly allows sub-sections.

Title. Clear, brief, and informative.

Authors and affiliations. Full names with institution and country. Identify the corresponding author and provide a valid email. The title, abstract, and author information must all appear on the first page.

Abstract. A single paragraph of 150–250 words, without sub-headings, following the structure: research issue and its importance and gap; aim or hypothesis; methods; main results; and the key discussion points leading to the conclusion. Provide the structured elements, Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion, as guided by the template. The abstract must represent the article objectively and must not overstate the conclusions. Do not cite literature in the abstract.

Keywords. Three to five specific keywords derived from the article's research variables or thematic focus, separated by semicolons. Avoid abbreviations, general terms, and plurals.

Introduction. Articulate the central problem and its scientific and social significance, and establish academic urgency. Explicitly state the research gap, what prior studies have not addressed in theory, context, methodology, or approach, and use it to justify the study's novelty. Literature (conceptual definitions, theoretical frameworks, prior findings, and gap analysis) must be integrated into the narrative, not placed under a separate "Literature Review" heading. Research questions may be stated but must be embedded in the prose, not listed. Use credible, up-to-date sources, ideally from the last 5–10 years. The Introduction should not exceed 20% of the manuscript.

Method. Written as a coherent narrative (no bullet points or sub-headings), briefly but adequately enough for others to replicate the study. State and justify the design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed), describe the research subject/object and context, and explain the data-collection and analysis procedures step by step with reference to relevant concepts. Include an ethics statement in narrative form: for research involving human or animal participants, state ethics-committee approval and informed consent; if no such subjects were involved, state this explicitly. This section should not exceed 10% of the manuscript.

Results and Discussion. Present Results and Discussion as separate sub-sections; together they should form at least 60% of the manuscript. Begin with a short paragraph outlining how this section is organized.

Results present findings objectively and systematically, derived directly from the data, without theoretical interpretation. Write findings as flowing narrative appropriate to the data type; tables and figures must be accompanied by explanatory narrative highlighting key points rather than restating the whole table. Direct quotations must protect participant identities (initials or codes), be introduced with context, and be followed by a brief descriptive explanation.
Discussion critically interprets the findings against the theoretical framework, reaffirms the study's novelty, and states theoretical and practical implications. Avoid "confirmation bias" (listing many prior studies without meaningful analysis); instead engage one or two genuinely relevant studies reflectively. Articulate the international relevance of the findings, how a local context contributes to global scholarly discourse, supported by valid, current citations. Explicitly acknowledge the study's limitations.

Conclusion. A concise narrative paragraph (about 10% of the manuscript) synthesizing the arguments, academic position, and main contribution, and suggesting directions for future research based on the stated limitations. Do not repeat data, introduce new results, or duplicate the abstract; do not use bullet points.

Acknowledgement. Optional: recognition of sponsors, funders, or key contributors.

Author Contribution Statement. State each author's contribution, if applicable.

References. See below.

Tables and figures

Number all tables, figures, and graphs, give each an informative title, and refer to each explicitly in the text ("Table 1," "Figure 1").
Tables use no vertical lines; horizontal lines appear only at the top and bottom. Font size within tables may be reduced for fit while remaining legible.
Do not duplicate the full content of a table or figure in the narrative, discuss only the key points.
Table titles appear above the table; figure titles appear below the figure.

References

Use APA 7th edition for in-text citations and the reference list, with no footnotes for citation.
Prioritize credible, current sources, ideally from the last 5–10 years.
Every reference in the list must be cited in the text, and vice versa. Use of a reference manager (Mendeley or Zotero) is recommended, and a DOI or URL should be provided where available.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

Any use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing the manuscript must be disclosed, naming the tool and its purpose. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, and the author(s) bear full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of all content.

How to submit

JLSP accepts submissions only through the journal's online system. Manuscripts sent by email are not processed. Please follow these steps:

Create an account or log in. New authors must first register for an account on the JLSP website. Returning authors can log in with their existing credentials. When registering, enable the "Author" role so the system allows you to submit.
Start a new submission. After logging in, open your dashboard and select "New Submission" (or Make a Submission).
Complete the submission steps. The system guides you through confirming the submission requirements and choosing the section and manuscript language; uploading your manuscript file; entering metadata (title, abstract, keywords, and all authors with affiliations and emails, including the English title, abstract, and keywords); confirming the upload; and finalizing the submission.
Prepare your files first. Before starting, have ready your manuscript in the JLSP template with author-identifying details removed for double-blind review, and ensure the English abstract, keywords, and complete author metadata are prepared, as these are entered during submission.
Confirm and track. After finalizing, the system sends a confirmation and notifies the editorial team. You can log back in at any time to track your manuscript's status through the review process.

If you experience any technical difficulty, contact the editorial team via the journal contact page.