Section Policies

Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

Copyright and License

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is an open-access journal published by the Fakultas Hukum Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.

The journal applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) to its published articles. This license permits users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts, and adapt or reuse the published material for any lawful purpose, including commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal.

Authors retain the copyright of their published works. By publishing in DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, authors grant the journal the right of first publication and authorize the distribution of their articles under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Users who reuse or redistribute published material must provide proper attribution to the author(s), acknowledge the original publication in DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, include the applicable license information, and indicate whether any changes have been made.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools may assist authors and editorial teams in academic writing and research. The journal permits the responsible use of AI tools, provided that such use does not compromise research integrity, originality, accuracy, confidentiality, or scholarly accountability.

1. Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI tools to assist with language editing, grammar correction, translation, organization of ideas, and other appropriate research-support activities. Authors must disclose any substantive use of generative AI in preparing a manuscript, particularly where AI has contributed to drafting, generating, or substantially revising scholarly content.

The disclosure should identify the AI tool used, its purpose, and the extent of its contribution. This statement should be included in an appropriate section of the manuscript, such as an AI Use Statement or Acknowledgments, in accordance with the journal's submission instructions.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Human authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity, legality, and integrity of all content submitted for publication, including any material produced or modified with AI assistance.

Authors must independently verify all legal provisions, court decisions, doctrinal arguments, quotations, references, citations, and other factual claims. Fabricated citations, inaccurate legal authorities, plagiarism, undisclosed substantial AI-generated content, and misleading representations of research findings are unacceptable.

2. Use of AI by Reviewers

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. They must not upload or disclose unpublished manuscripts, confidential data, or identifiable author information to public or third-party AI systems without appropriate authorization and adequate confidentiality safeguards.

AI tools must not replace the reviewer's independent scholarly judgment. Reviewers remain responsible for the originality, fairness, accuracy, and quality of their evaluations and must comply with the journal's peer-review procedures.

3. Use of AI by Editors

Editors may use AI tools for appropriate administrative or editorial assistance, provided that confidentiality, data protection, and editorial independence are maintained. AI-generated assessments must not replace the editor's independent judgment in decisions concerning acceptance, revision, or rejection.

Editors must ensure that manuscripts are evaluated on scholarly merit and that any suspected misuse of AI is assessed fairly and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures.

4. Detection and Investigation

The journal may examine concerns regarding undisclosed or inappropriate AI use as part of its research integrity procedures. AI-detection software, if used, must not be treated as conclusive evidence of misconduct. Any concern must be assessed through a fair process that considers the available evidence and gives the authors an opportunity to respond.

Where a violation is established, the journal may take appropriate action in accordance with its editorial policies, including requesting revisions, rejecting a manuscript, issuing a correction, or retracting a published article when warranted.

5. Policy Review

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum may periodically review and update this policy in response to developments in AI technology, scholarly publishing standards, and publication ethics guidelines.

Retraction and Correction Policy

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when substantial errors or ethical violations are identified in a published article.

All cases will be assessed fairly, objectively, and transparently, with due consideration for publication ethics, the rights of authors, and the interests of readers and the scholarly community.

1. Grounds for Retraction

An article may be retracted when there is clear evidence that its findings, arguments, or scholarly record are unreliable or that serious publication ethics violations have occurred. Grounds for retraction may include, but are not limited to:

1. Plagiarism or substantial unattributed use of another person's work.
2. Data fabrication, falsification, or other serious research misconduct.
3. Significant errors that invalidate the article's principal findings, legal analysis, or conclusions.
4. Duplicate publication or substantial redundant publication without appropriate disclosure.
5. Serious authorship violations, including publication without legitimate authorization from the rightful authors.
6. Undisclosed conflicts of interest or other ethical violations that materially undermine the integrity of the publication.
7. Manipulation of the peer-review or publication process.
8. Other substantiated violations of publication ethics that seriously compromise the reliability or integrity of the scholarly record.

Retraction does not necessarily imply that every author was involved in misconduct. Responsibility will be assessed on the basis of the available evidence.

2. Retraction Procedure

When a potential problem is identified, the Editor-in-Chief will conduct an initial assessment and may consult the editorial board, relevant experts, the authors, or their affiliated institutions, as appropriate.

The journal will notify the corresponding author of the concerns and provide a reasonable opportunity to respond. Where necessary, the journal may request supporting documents, original research materials, or clarification regarding the disputed content.

The final decision will be made by the Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the editorial board or independent experts when appropriate. The decision will be based on the evidence, the seriousness of the issue, and the need to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

If an investigation cannot be completed promptly but there are substantial grounds for concern, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern while the matter is being investigated.

3. Retraction Notice and Article Record

When an article is retracted, the journal will publish a clearly identifiable retraction notice stating the title of the article, the author(s), the original publication details, the date of retraction, and the reason for the retraction.

The retraction notice will be linked to the original article. The original article will ordinarily remain accessible in the journal's archive, clearly marked as retracted, to preserve the scholarly record and ensure transparency. The journal will take reasonable steps to ensure that the retraction status is clearly communicated in the online publication record and, where applicable, to relevant indexing and metadata services.

The retraction notice will distinguish between the fact of retraction and any allegation of misconduct that has not been established.

4. Corrections and Expressions of Concern

Where an error is limited and does not undermine the overall reliability of the article, the journal may publish a correction or corrigendum instead of retracting the article.

Where there is credible evidence of a serious concern but insufficient information to reach a final decision, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern. The journal will review the matter as further evidence becomes available and take appropriate action when the investigation is concluded.

5. Author-Initiated Retraction

Authors who identify substantial errors or ethical problems in their published work are encouraged to notify the Editor-in-Chief promptly and provide a clear explanation and supporting evidence.

Requests for retraction will be assessed independently by the journal. An author-requested retraction will not automatically be granted without consideration of the circumstances and the need to maintain an accurate scholarly record.

6. Appeals and Fairness

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal against a retraction decision, supported by relevant evidence. The journal will review the appeal in accordance with its editorial procedures. Where appropriate, the journal may seek an independent assessment.

Throughout the process, the journal will protect confidential information, avoid premature conclusions, and ensure that editorial decisions are based on evidence rather than personal, institutional, or other irrelevant considerations.

7. Publication Ethics Standards

Authorship Criteria

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum recognizes authorship as an important academic responsibility that reflects substantial intellectual contributions to the development, preparation, and publication of scholarly work in the field of law. All individuals listed as authors must have made meaningful scholarly contributions to the manuscript and must be accountable for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical conduct of the published work.

The journal adopts the following authorship criteria:

1. Substantial Scholarly Contribution: Each author must have made a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the research; the identification and formulation of legal issues; the collection, analysis, or interpretation of legal materials or empirical data; the development of legal arguments; or the application of relevant legal theories, principles, and doctrines.
2. Manuscript Preparation and Revision: Each author must have participated in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for significant intellectual content, including legal analysis, interpretation of legislation or judicial decisions, theoretical arguments, and the implications of the research findings.
3. Final Approval: All authors must review and approve the final version of the manuscript before submission and publication, ensuring that the content accurately represents the research conducted and the arguments presented.
4. Accountability: All authors must agree to be accountable for their respective contributions and cooperate in addressing questions concerning the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical conduct of the research. Authors must also be prepared to clarify the legal reasoning, research methods, and sources supporting the manuscript's conclusions.
5. Corresponding Author: The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the editorial office, coordinating communication among co-authors, ensuring that all authors meet the journal's authorship criteria and have approved the submitted manuscript, and providing accurate and complete information throughout the submission, review, and publication processes.
6. Order of Authors: The order of authors must be agreed upon by all authors before submission and should reflect their respective scholarly contributions in accordance with accepted academic practices. All authors are encouraged to discuss and agree on authorship order at an early stage of the research and manuscript preparation process.
7. Changes in Authorship: Any addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors after submission must be supported by a valid justification and approved in writing by all authors concerned, including any author being added or removed. Such changes are subject to review and approval by the editorial team in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.
8. Prohibition of Improper Authorship: Gift authorship, guest authorship, ghost authorship, and other forms of misleading attribution are strictly prohibited. Individuals who have not made qualifying scholarly contributions must not be listed as authors. Contributions that do not meet the authorship criteria, such as administrative assistance, funding acquisition without substantial intellectual involvement, or general supervision alone, may be acknowledged appropriately with the individual's permission.
9. Use of Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical implications of scholarly work. Authors who use AI tools in preparing their manuscripts must remain fully responsible for the content, verify the accuracy of generated information, ensure the reliability of legal references and citations, and disclose AI use in accordance with the journal's applicable AI policy. AI-generated legal references, legislation, court decisions, and scholarly sources must be independently verified before inclusion in the manuscript.
10. Research and Publication Ethics: All authors must ensure that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal. Authors must properly acknowledge all sources, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, disclose relevant conflicts of interest and sources of funding, and obtain the necessary ethical approvals and informed consent where applicable, particularly for empirical legal research involving human participants or confidential information.

Manuscript Types

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum accepts scholarly manuscripts that contribute to the advancement of legal knowledge, theory, and practice. The journal publishes original, relevant, and academically rigorous works addressing contemporary legal issues, legal developments, and challenges in the application and enforcement of law.

The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:

1. Original Research Articles: Reports of original research examining legal issues through normative legal research, empirical legal research, or other appropriate methodological approaches. These articles should present a clearly formulated legal problem, appropriate research methods, systematic legal analysis, findings, discussion, and conclusions that contribute to the development of legal scholarship or practice.
2. Comparative Law Articles: Studies comparing legal systems, legal doctrines, legislation, judicial decisions, or law enforcement practices across different jurisdictions. These articles should provide critical analysis and identify similarities, differences, and lessons that contribute to legal development, reform, or harmonization.
3. Literature Review Articles: Systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and other rigorous literature reviews that critically synthesize existing scholarly publications on legal issues. These articles should identify research trends, theoretical developments, gaps in legal scholarship, and directions for future research.
4. Conceptual and Theoretical Articles: Scholarly papers that develop, examine, or critically discuss legal concepts, theories, principles, doctrines, and jurisprudential approaches. These articles should offer original arguments or analytical frameworks that advance the understanding of law and its role in society.
5. Case Law and Judicial Decision Analysis Articles: Studies that critically examine court judgments, judicial reasoning, the interpretation and application of legal norms, and the implications of judicial decisions for legal doctrine and practice. These articles should demonstrate sound legal reasoning and a clear contribution to the development of jurisprudence or judicial practice.
6. Legal Policy and Law Reform Articles: Research examining legislation, regulatory frameworks, public policy, institutional arrangements, and law reform initiatives. These articles should critically assess the effectiveness, consistency, and implications of legal policies and, where appropriate, propose evidence-based recommendations for legislative improvement and institutional reform.
7. Empirical Legal Research Articles: Studies investigating the implementation and operation of law in society, including law enforcement, access to justice, legal awareness, human rights protection, the performance of legal institutions, and the interaction between law and social realities. These articles should employ transparent and appropriate empirical methods and provide findings relevant to legal theory, policy, or practice.

All submitted manuscripts must be original, relevant to the focus and scope of DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, and prepared in accordance with the journal's Author Guidelines. Manuscripts must demonstrate academic rigor, methodological appropriateness, sound legal reasoning, a clear scholarly contribution, the use of relevant and authoritative legal sources, and compliance with applicable research and publication ethics.

Allegation of Research Misconduct

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics in legal scholarship. The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously, including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, citation manipulation, misrepresentation of legal sources, inaccurate interpretation of legislation or judicial decisions, and other violations of academic and publication ethics.

Reporting Research Misconduct

Authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and other parties may report suspected research or publication misconduct to the editorial team of DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum. Reports should provide a clear description of the alleged misconduct and, where possible, supporting evidence or relevant documentation, such as similarities between publications, questionable research data, inaccurate legal citations, or evidence of inappropriate attribution.

All allegations will be handled confidentially, impartially, and fairly. The identity of the person reporting the concern will be protected to the extent possible, subject to applicable policies and the requirements of a fair investigation. The journal does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith.

Investigation Procedure

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial team will:

1. Conduct an Initial Assessment: Determine whether the allegation falls within the scope of research or publication misconduct and whether sufficient information is available to proceed.
2. Examine the Evidence: Review the available evidence, including manuscripts, published articles, research data, citations, legal references, legislation, and judicial decisions, as relevant to the allegation.
3. Request Clarification: Contact the author or other relevant parties for an explanation or additional information when appropriate, providing a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns raised.
4. Consult Independent Experts or Institutions: Seek advice from independent experts, relevant editorial or publication ethics bodies, or the author's affiliated institution when further investigation or specialized assessment is required.
5. Determine Appropriate Action: Evaluate the findings objectively and decide on appropriate measures in accordance with the seriousness of the misconduct and the journal's publication ethics policies. Possible actions may include requesting corrections, rejecting a manuscript, publishing a correction or retraction, notifying the author's institution, or taking other appropriate steps.

The journal will not presume misconduct solely on the basis of an allegation. All cases will be assessed objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency, and due process. The parties concerned will be given an appropriate opportunity to respond before a decision is made, wherever practicable.

Conflict of Interest

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, impartiality, and integrity throughout the editorial, peer-review, and publication processes. All authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may influence, or appear to influence, their professional judgment in the preparation, evaluation, and publication of a manuscript.

Authors

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could influence the research, legal analysis, interpretation of findings, or preparation of the manuscript. Such conflicts may include employment, consultancy, research funding, personal relationships, institutional affiliations, professional interests, legal representation, or other interests relevant to the submitted work.

In legal research, authors should also disclose relevant interests that may affect the impartiality of their analysis, including involvement in a legal dispute examined in the manuscript or relationships with institutions, organizations, or parties whose interests are directly related to the research.

If no conflict of interest exists, authors should include a statement such as: "The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article."

Editors

Editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest related to a submitted manuscript and must not participate in editorial decisions when such conflicts could compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, their impartiality. Relevant conflicts may include personal relationships with authors, recent collaboration, shared institutional affiliations, financial interests, or professional competition.

In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another qualified editor who can manage the editorial process independently and objectively. Editorial decisions must be based on the manuscript's scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, legal relevance, and contribution to the field of law.

Reviewers

Reviewers must inform the editorial team of any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before accepting or proceeding with a review. Conflicts may include personal or professional relationships with the authors, current or recent institutional affiliations, research collaboration, financial interests, professional competition, or involvement in legal matters directly related to the manuscript.

Reviewers who are unable to provide an objective and impartial assessment must decline the review assignment. Reviewers must also maintain confidentiality and refrain from using unpublished information obtained during the peer-review process for personal, professional, or financial benefit.

Disclosure and Management

All disclosed conflicts of interest will be assessed by the editorial team and managed appropriately to protect the integrity, fairness, and credibility of the publication process. Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request additional information, appoint an alternative editor or reviewer, require an appropriate disclosure statement, or take other measures consistent with its publication ethics policies.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in appropriate editorial action. Where a conflict is identified after publication, the journal will assess the matter and may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction if warranted by the evidence and the seriousness of the issue.

Post-Publication Discussion URL

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum encourages scholarly discussion and constructive academic engagement concerning articles published in the journal. The journal recognizes that post-publication discussion plays an important role in strengthening legal scholarship, promoting academic integrity, identifying potential errors, and advancing critical analysis of legal theories, legislation, judicial decisions, and legal practices.

1. Opportunities for Post-Publication Discussion

Readers, researchers, legal scholars, practitioners, authors, and other interested parties are encouraged to submit comments, questions, critical analyses, or alternative perspectives concerning articles published in DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum. Submissions should be academically relevant, evidence-based, respectful, and directly related to the legal issues, research methodology, interpretation of legal norms, arguments, or findings presented in the published article.

Post-publication discussions may address, among other matters, the interpretation of legislation, the application of legal principles, judicial reasoning, legal doctrines, research findings, methodological limitations, and the implications of published research for legal reform, law enforcement, judicial practice, and public policy.

2. Submission and Editorial Review

Post-publication comments and discussions may be submitted to the editorial team through the journal's official communication channels, as provided on the journal's website. Submissions should identify the title, author, and publication details of the article being discussed and provide a clear explanation of the issues raised, supported by relevant evidence, legal authorities, scholarly references, or other appropriate documentation.

The editorial team will assess each submission based on its academic relevance, factual accuracy, originality, clarity, scholarly contribution, and compliance with the journal's publication ethics policies. Where necessary, the editor may request revisions, consult the original authors, or seek independent expert opinions, particularly when the discussion involves complex legal interpretations or substantive concerns about the validity of published findings.

3. Publication of Comments and Responses

The journal may publish accepted comments, critical responses, and replies from the original authors in an appropriate scholarly format, subject to editorial evaluation. When a comment raises substantive concerns regarding the legal reasoning, research methodology, interpretation of legal sources, validity of findings, or ethical integrity of a published article, the editorial team may invite the original authors to provide a response.

All published discussions and responses must adhere to professional academic standards. Personal attacks, defamatory statements, discriminatory language, and unsupported allegations are unacceptable. Criticism must focus on the scholarly content and be supported by appropriate arguments and evidence. The editorial team reserves the right to request revisions or decline submissions that fail to meet the journal's academic and ethical requirements.

4. Corrections and Research Integrity

Concerns identified through post-publication discussion will be assessed carefully, impartially, and in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies. Where necessary, the editorial team may contact the authors, their affiliated institutions, or relevant experts to clarify or investigate the issues raised.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern, the journal may publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction. Such actions may be considered in cases involving significant errors, unreliable findings, plagiarism, improper attribution, inaccurate or misleading legal references, research misconduct, or other violations of publication ethics.

All decisions concerning corrections or retractions will be based on the available evidence and the need to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. The parties concerned will be given an appropriate opportunity to respond, where practicable.

5. Editorial Independence and Fairness

Decisions regarding post-publication comments, responses, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions are made by the editorial team based on academic merit, supporting evidence, relevance, and ethical considerations. The journal seeks to ensure that all parties are treated fairly and that editorial decisions are not influenced by personal relationships, institutional affiliations, professional interests, or other inappropriate considerations.

The editorial team will maintain confidentiality where appropriate and manage potential conflicts of interest in accordance with the journal's editorial and publication ethics policies.

6. Commitment to Academic Dialogue

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is committed to fostering an open, fair, respectful, and constructive academic environment. The journal welcomes responsible scholarly dialogue that contributes to the development of legal knowledge, strengthens research integrity, encourages critical engagement with legal theories and practices, and supports the continuous improvement of published scholarship.

Ownership and Management Information

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is a scientific journal owned by Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) and published through the Faculty of Law, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.

The journal serves as an academic platform for disseminating original research articles, conceptual studies, legal analyses, and scholarly discussions in the field of law. It is committed to promoting academic excellence, ethical scholarly communication, and the advancement of legal knowledge, theory, and practice.

Ownership

The ownership of DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum rests with Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), an institution of higher education in Indonesia. The university provides the institutional framework and support for the journal's publication, sustainability, and development in accordance with applicable academic standards and publication ethics.

Management

The journal is managed by an editorial team affiliated with the Faculty of Law, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara. The editorial team consists of the Editor-in-Chief, managing editors, editorial board members, and peer reviewers with relevant academic qualifications and expertise in various areas of legal scholarship.

The editorial team is responsible for managing manuscript submissions, coordinating the peer-review process, making editorial decisions, maintaining scholarly quality, and ensuring compliance with the journal's editorial policies and publication ethics. The management of the journal is directed toward maintaining a transparent, professional, and accountable publication process.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently based on the scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, legal relevance, and contribution of submitted manuscripts to the focus and scope of DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum.

The journal is committed to maintaining editorial independence, transparency, impartiality, and academic integrity throughout the editorial and publication processes. Decisions concerning manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection are based on academic merit and the outcomes of the editorial assessment and peer-review process, without inappropriate influence from the journal's owner, institutional affiliations, authors, or other external parties.

Address:

Faculty of Law,  University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara Jl. Kapten Mukhtar Basri No. 3 Medan, Kode Pos 20238

E-mail: delegalata@umsu.ac.id

Telp/HP/WA : 081262102097

DE LEGA LATA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is abstracting & indexing in the following databases: 

       

De Lega Lata: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.