About the Journal

About the Journal – Darma Loka Journal

Darma Loka Journal is an open-access scholarly journal published by the Faculty of Law, State University of Surabaya. This journal is committed to advancing academic discourse and disseminating legal knowledge based on community service and impactful legal empowerment practices.

Focus and Scope

Darma Loka Journal publishes practice-based legal research in community contexts. The scope of topics includes:

• Access to justice
• Legal aid
• Human rights advocacy
• Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the legal field, particularly SDG 16
• Community-based legal activities, customary law, and interdisciplinary approaches in legal service

Publication Frequency

Darma Loka Journal is published three times a year in April, August, and December.

Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process by at least two independent reviewers. Evaluation is based on topic relevance, novelty, methodology, and scholarly contribution. The final decision rests with the editorial board based on reviewers' feedback.

Open Access Policy

This journal implements immediate open access, allowing all articles to be freely accessed and downloaded by the public without subscription fees or registration.

Publication Ethics

Darma Loka Journal adheres to the publication ethics principles set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All involved parties — authors, editors, and reviewers — must uphold academic integrity and transparency.

Archiving and Indexing

The journal is archived through the LOCKSS and CLOCKSS systems. It is currently indexed in:

• Google Scholar
• Garuda (Garba Rujukan Digital)
• Indonesian Publication Index (IPI)
• Dimensions (in process)

The editorial team actively pursues quality development for international indexing (DOAJ and Scopus).

Copyright and Licensing

Articles published in this journal are under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. Copyright remains with the authors, while the journal retains first publication rights.

Journal History

Darma Loka Journal was established in 2025 as part of the academic commitment of the Faculty of Law at UNESA to accommodate community service-based publications in the legal field.

The name "Darma Loka" originates from Indonesian and Sanskrit. "Darma" means duty, life's obligation, or virtue. "Loka" means world or place. Together, they reflect the journal's vision as a medium for disseminating grounded, sustainable, and just legal virtues.

Publisher and Contact