New rules for awarding academic degrees: Overview of key changes

In 2025, by order of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, edits and amendments were made to the rules for awarding academic degrees. In this article, we will look at the key provisions that define the new regulatory framework for higher scientific certification, as well as the conditions that must be met by applicants for a PhD and Doctor on a profile degrees.

PhD and Doctor on a profile

Doctor on a profile is a degree awarded to persons who have completed a doctoral programme in the relevant field of professional activity and defended a dissertation in the Republic of Kazakhstan or abroad, recognised in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Education”.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a degree awarded to persons who have completed a doctoral programme in a scientific and pedagogical field and defended a dissertation in the Republic of Kazakhstan or abroad, recognised in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Education”.

General principles for writing a dissertation

The updated regulatory framework clearly defines six fundamental principles that must be followed when writing a dissertation:

1. The principle of independence — the dissertation must be the result of the author's personal scientific activity. Artificial intelligence technologies can only be used for auxiliary analytics, in particular statistical sampling of variable data, but not for forming key scientific conclusions.
2. Internal unity — all sections of the dissertation must be logically interrelated. The argumentation of new solutions must include comparisons with existing approaches.
3. Scientific novelty — the dissertation contains previously unknown, scientifically substantiated theoretical and/or experimental results, provisions, conclusions or recommendations that constitute a new scientific achievement or are of significant importance for the development of the relevant field of science. These may also be technical, technological, economic or managerial solutions, the implementation of which contributes to significant progress in the development of the national economy.
4. Reliability — the results of the dissertation research are obtained through the application of relevant methods of scientific analysis, as well as modern approaches to data processing and interpretation, in particular with the use of computer technologies and, where available, artificial intelligence tools. In dissertations in the natural, technical, medical and agricultural sciences, the validity of theoretical propositions, models, established patterns and interrelationships is confirmed experimentally, and the results of the examination are confirmed using the latest technological solutions, including artificial intelligence tools.
5. Practical value — in works of an applied nature, the author is obliged to provide information on the actual implementation of the scientific results obtained, confirmed by relevant documents — patents, copyright certificates, implementation acts, certificates of intellectual property rights, etc. If the research is theoretical in nature, substantiated recommendations for the practical application of the formulated scientific conclusions must be provided.
6. Academic integrity — any form of plagiarism, self-plagiarism (use of one's own data without attribution), unreliable references or fictitious sources (fabrication), distortion of data or results (falsification) is strictly prohibited. It is also prohibited to use AI without a reference indicating the name, manufacturer (copyright holder), version and date of circulation and/or use.

A special prohibition applies to works marked “secret”, as well as to research involving children under the age of 13. In addition, the use of AI to conceal dishonest practices is not permitted.

Procedure and conditions for the use of AI in a dissertation

The author may use artificial intelligence technologies only after consultation with scientific advisors and the ethics committee of the HPEI (higher and postgraduate education institution).

When preparing a dissertation, authors, scientific supervisors and members of the ethics committee must consider the possibilities and consequences of using artificial intelligence technologies. The dissertation author must adhere to the principles of academic integrity and internal ethical standards of the HPEI when using AI, as well as clearly indicate the fact of its use: with a reference to the technology (name, manufacturer, version, date of use) and a description of the stages of the research in which it was used, with an explanation of the methods used to verify the reliability of the results obtained. If such information is not included in the dissertation, it is considered confirmation that AI was not used.

The author is obliged to prevent the disclosure of personal data, confidential or legally protected information without the proper consent of the relevant persons. Information obtained using AI must be used reliably, ethically and safely. HPEI independently develop and approve rules for the use of artificial intelligence technologies when writing dissertations, taking into account the specifics of educational and scientific training.

Scientific publications for the defence of a dissertation

Before defending a dissertation, the applicant must publish the results of the research in scientific publications included in the List of scientific publications recommended for the publication of scientific activity results, or in international peer-reviewed scientific journals that:

• have an impact factor according to Journal Citation Reports (JCR)
• are indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index)
• or have a CiteScore percentile of at least 25 in the Scopus database

Requirements for admission to defence

Publications must meet one of the following options:

1. At least one article or review in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal that:
   • has an impact factor according to Journal Citation Reports (JCR);
   • and/or is indexed in Web of Science Core Collection (AHCI, SCIE, SSCI);
   • or has a CiteScore percentile of at least 25 in the Scopus database,
   • as well as articles in journals from the List of Publications (the number depends on the category of the publication);
2. Or two publications (articles or one article and one review) in journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (AHCI) and/or those included in the first three quartiles according to JCR or having a CiteScore percentile ≥35 in Scopus;
3. Or a chapter in a monograph published by a reputable international publisher (e.g. Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, etc.) with a volume of at least one printed sheet, or by a university publisher from the top 100 global rankings (US News, ARWU, THE);
4. Or one article in a journal from the first two quartiles of JCR or with a CiteScore percentile ≥35 in Scopus, and one conference paper in the proceedings of an international scientific conference indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and with an impact factor according to JCR.

Specific requirements for philological, philosophical and historical disciplines

For applicants in the following specialities:

• 8D017 – Training of teachers of Kazakh language and literature
• 8D060 – Philology
• D050 – Philosophy and ethics
• D053 – History
• and other educational programmes in the field of pedagogical and humanities

The following are allowed:

• 1 article or review in an international peer-reviewed journal (Web of Science AHCI or Scopus with a CiteScore percentile ≥25) + an article in a journal from the List of Publications (in a quantity depending on the category of the publication)
• or articles in journals from Lists 1 and 2 (one in English) + 2 oral presentations at international scientific conferences

Additional provisions

If the dissertation contains state or official secrets, at least 7 publications are required, 4 of which must be in publications from the List.

For defences held abroad, publications on the topic of the dissertation are taken into account, among which there must be at least 1 international peer-reviewed article. 1 article in a journal from the first quartile according to JCR can be equated to 2 articles in publications from the List.

Features of taking publications into account

1. The quartile of the journal for the year of publication, the previous year or the year of defence is taken into account.
2. Articles must be of the type Article, Review, Article in Press, Conference Paper, Proceedings.
3. Publications in multidisciplinary journals (Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, etc.) are allowed.
4. Articles in foreign periodical scientific publications may also be considered as publications from the List if they meet the requirements.

 

Number of articles in journals from the List:

• List 1 – 1 article is sufficient
• List 2 – 2 articles
• List 3 – 3 articles

Formatting and structure of the dissertation

Higher and postgraduate education institutions independently determine the requirements for formatting dissertations, including the choice of international citation style that corresponds to the field of study, for example, Harvard, APA, MLA, Chicago, ACS, etc.

It is also mandatory to indicate the artificial intelligence technologies used, specifying their name, developer (copyright holder), version, date of use and method of application, including a description of the queries used to obtain the results used in the dissertation.

The dissertation must clearly indicate:

1. References to the sources used with full bibliographic data;
2. Protective documents for developments obtained by the doctoral student individually or in co-authorship;
3. Scientific publications on the topic of the dissertation, performed independently or in co-authorship;
4. Description of the artificial intelligence technologies used.

The detection of plagiarism by a specialised academic council or committee is grounds for refusal to award a degree without the possibility of re-defence.

Role and powers of the Expert Council

The functions of the Expert Council include the examination of certification files, dissertations and publications for compliance with the requirements of the Rules and the Model Regulations on the Specialised Academic Council. Its powers also include the examination and monitoring of scientific journals for the purpose of including (or excluding) publications recommended for the publication of the main results of scientific activity.

In addition, the Expert Council analyses dissertations after their defence and considers proposals, as well as prepares recommendations for improving the system of training PhDs and Doctors on a profile.

Based on the results of the review, the Expert Council adopts one of the following decisions by open vote: to award a PhD or Doctor on a profile; to send the dissertation for revision (except in cases of defence in the form of a series of articles); to send it for re-defence; or to refuse to award the degree.

Decisions on the award of academic degrees

The decision of the Expert Council to award a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor on a profile degree is considered approved if it is supported by at least three-quarters (3/4) of all members of the Council present.

In cases where the issue of refusal to award a degree or the need to revise the dissertation or resubmit it for defence is considered, the decision is considered adopted if it receives at least two-thirds (2/3) of the votes of the members present.

If the required majority is not achieved during the vote, a repeat vote is held. If the decision is not unanimous, the dissertation is sent for revision or re-defence, if the majority of those present vote in favour of this. In the event of a tie, the dissertation is sent for re-defence.

The dissertation is subject to revision in the event of minor deficiencies that do not alter the main content of the work. If it does not meet certain key requirements or principles, except for violations of academic integrity, a re-defence is scheduled.

If violations of the principles of academic integrity are found or the dissertation does not meet the criteria of scientific novelty, integrity or reliability, a decision is made to refuse to award the degree. When the work is sent for revision, the official conclusion of the council must include specific recommendations for eliminating the shortcomings.

Appeal mechanism

A candidate for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor on a profile degree has the right to appeal the decision of the specialised academic council or committee to refuse to award the degree within 30 working days from the date of the official publication of the relevant order.

The update of the regulatory framework for the awarding of academic degrees is a response to the current challenges facing science, in particular with regard to academic integrity, higher requirements for publication activity and the regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in research. Such changes will contribute to improving the quality of scientific research, the transparency of defence procedures and the integration of domestic science into the international scientific space. It is important for applicants to carefully comply with the new requirements in order to guarantee the legitimacy and recognition of the results of their scientific work.

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