Publishing from Indonesia: national rules, SINTA and promotion
Indonesia's national rule on higher education quality, Permendiktisaintek 39/2025 (in force from 2 September 2025), does not make a journal article a condition for a master's or doctoral degree. Your university's own regulation decides whether it still asks for one, and journal articles still count toward lecturer promotion.
Every rule below links to the official document it comes from. Read on 10 October 2026.
What the rules ask
National (Kemdiktisaintek): Permendiktisaintek No. 39 of 2025 was set on 28 August 2025 and took effect when promulgated on 2 September 2025. It revokes Permendikbudristek 53/2023 (Article 117). (source: Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), read 10 October 2026)
National (Kemdiktisaintek): A master's final project can be a thesis, a prototype, a project or similar work (Article 19); a doctoral one a dissertation, prototype, project or similar (Article 20). (source: Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), read 10 October 2026)
National (Kemdiktisaintek): Master's and doctoral students graduate on completing the study load and the programme's learning outcomes with a GPA of at least 3.0 (Article 30). That article sets no journal condition. (source: Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), read 10 October 2026)
National (Kemdiktisaintek): A doctoral examining panel includes an examiner from outside the university, independent of the research and free of conflicts of interest (Article 29). (source: Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), read 10 October 2026)
ITB, summarising Kepmendiktisaintek 39/M/KEP/2026: For lecturer promotion, a reputable international journal must, among other tests, be in Scopus with an SJR above 0.2 (above 0.25 for the higher ranks) or have a Web of Science impact factor above 0.05, with editors from at least four countries and authors from at least two countries in an issue. (source: Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, read 10 October 2026)
ITB, summarising Kepmendiktisaintek 39/M/KEP/2026: Articles from the lecturer's own thesis or dissertation, seminar special issues and journals of the lecturer's own university earn credit points but cannot meet the special publication requirement for promotion. (source: Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, read 10 October 2026)
Your university's handbook is the final word.
Journals in Indonesia
SINTA (Science and Technology Index): The ministry's index of Indonesian journals, authors and institutions: 16,772 journals, each accredited one given a level from S1 down, as read on 10 October 2026.
Check the references: Reference Check flags retracted papers, broken DOIs and citations missing from the list.
Questions
Do I still need a SINTA or Scopus article to finish my S2 or S3?
Not under the national rule now in force: Article 30 of Permendiktisaintek 39/2025 ties graduation to the study load, learning outcomes and a GPA of 3.0. Your university's regulation may still ask for an article, so read it.
Can my final project be something other than a thesis?
Yes. Articles 19 and 20 allow a prototype, a project or a similar form in place of a thesis or dissertation.
Does a journal published by my own university count for promotion?
It earns credit points, but according to ITB's summary of the 2026 decree it cannot meet the special publication requirement for moving up a rank.
ORBIT