Review Guidelines

These guidelines apply to all manuscripts submitted to Jurnal Darma Loka, including research articles and policy briefs. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, respectful, and constructive feedback in accordance with publication ethics.

General Journal Review Guidelines

• Novelty and scientific contribution – whether the topic is original and valuable.
• Appropriateness and clarity of methods – whether the methods are suitable and clearly described.
• Social or policy impact – the article’s practical contribution.
• Ethical compliance – including participant consent, if applicable.
• Writing structure and reference relevance – clarity of flow, quality of references.

Reviewer’s Recommendation: Accept without revision, Accept with minor revision, Accept with major revision, or Reject.

Policy Brief Review Guidelines

• Policy Brief Structure – follows the format Problem → Findings → Recommendations.
• Clarity of policy recommendations – recommendations must be specific, realistic, and implementable.
• Readability – concise, clear, and accessible language understandable to non-academics.
• Reference relevance & policy context – support from recent scholarly references
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Ethics & Confidentiality

Reviewers must not disclose manuscript content. The entire process follows COPE guidelines. Reviewers should provide polite, clear, and constructive comments to help authors improve their work.

Competing Interests

Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest that could affect their objectivity, including:

• Professional or institutional relationships with the authors
• Involvement in the same project or research
• Financial, personal, or ideological interests

If conflicts exist, reviewers must inform the editor and, if necessary, decline the review assignment.