Jurnal Mahkamah Keadilan is committed to publishing high-quality, original research and scholarship in the field of law and justice. To ensure the scholarly rigor and integrity of its publications, all submitted manuscripts undergo a stringent and impartial double-blind peer review process.

Step 1: Initial Editorial Assessment (Pre-Review)

1. Submission and Acknowledgment: The author submits the manuscript via the journal’s online system. The system or editorial office acknowledges receipt.

2. Scope and Format Check: The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) or a designated Managing Editor conducts a preliminary screening to ensure the manuscript adheres to:

   • The journal's Focus and Scope.

   • The prescribed Author Guidelines (formatting, length, citation style, and required components).

   • Plagiarism Check: The manuscript is checked using a plagiarism detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate). Manuscripts exceeding the journal's acceptable similarity index are subject to immediate rejection or are returned to the author for mandatory revision before proceeding.

3. Decision:

   • Manuscripts that fail the initial check (e.g., out of scope, poor formatting, high plagiarism score) are desk-rejected or returned to the author for minor technical revisions.

   • Manuscripts that pass this stage proceed to the peer review.

Step 2: Double-Blind Peer Review

1. Reviewer Selection: The assigned Section Editor or EiC selects at least two qualified external reviewers with established expertise in the subject area of the manuscript.

   • MKJ employs a double-blind review system, meaning both the author's identity and the reviewers' identities are concealed from one another throughout the process to ensure objective evaluation.

2. Reviewer Invitation and Review Period: Reviewers are invited and provided with the anonymized manuscript and a standard Reviewer Evaluation Form.

   • Reviewers are typically given 2-4 weeks to complete their assessment.

3. Reviewer Evaluation: Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on several key criteria, including:

   • Originality and Significance: Contribution to the field of law and justice.

   • Methodology: Soundness and appropriateness of the research methods.

   • Literature Review: Adequacy and currency of cited sources (preferring sources from the last 5-10 years).

   • Clarity and Organization: Logical structure and clear academic writing.

   • Argumentation and Analysis: Strength of legal analysis and evidence-based arguments.

   • Ethical Considerations: Compliance with publication ethics.

Step 3: Editor's Final Decision

1. Decision Formulation: The Section Editor collects the reviewer reports and summarizes their recommendations. The EiC reviews these reports and the manuscript to formulate the final decision.

2. Possible Decisions: The editor's decision is conveyed to the author along with the reviewers' anonymized comments:

   • Accept Submission: The manuscript is ready for publication without or with only minor editorial corrections.

   • Minor Revisions: The author must make small corrections as requested by the reviewers, typically without needing a second review round.

   • Major Revisions: Significant revisions are required (e.g., improvements to methodology, deeper analysis, structural reorganization). The revised manuscript will typically undergo a re-review by the original reviewers.

   • Reject and Resubmit Elsewhere: The manuscript shows potential but requires substantial work beyond the scope of a major revision or is a better fit for another journal.

   • Decline Submission (Reject): The manuscript is deemed unsuitable for publication due to significant flaws in methodology, poor quality, or lack of originality.

Step 4: Revision and Re-submission

1. Author Revision: The author revises the manuscript according to the reviewers' comments and submits a revised version along with a Response to Reviewers document detailing how each comment was addressed.

2. Re-Review: Manuscripts requiring Major Revisions are typically sent back to the original reviewers for a second assessment (Step 2 is repeated).

3. Final Acceptance: Once the Editor-in-Chief is satisfied that all necessary revisions have been adequately addressed, the manuscript is formally accepted for publication.

Step 5: Production and Publication

1. Copyediting and Layout: The accepted manuscript undergoes final professional copyediting and is prepared for publication (proofreading, layout design).

2. Author Proof: The author receives a final proof for approval before publication.

3. Publication: The article is published in the next available issue of the Jurnal Mahkamah Keadilan.