Publication Requirements for Associate Professorship in 2024
Introduction
In 2024, the issue of publication requirements for obtaining the academic titles of associate professor (associate professor) and professor in the Republic of Kazakhstan is of particular importance in the context of modernization of the higher education system and academic activities. Modern publication requirements not only reflect the level of scientific research, but also contribute to the formation of highly qualified teaching staff capable of carrying out the educational process at the highest level.
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education, by order dated September 5, 2024, introduced amendments and additions to the Rules for assigning academic titles (Associate Professor (Associate Professor), Professor).
In this article, we will take a detailed look at the main publication requirements for obtaining the academic titles of associate professor and professor in 2024, describe the changes that await us in 2025, and analyze the impact of these requirements on the development of the scientific and educational spheres of Kazakhstan.
In this article we will examine the basic concepts and types of articles:
- International Journals — International peer-reviewed scientific journals include publications that are included in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd quartile according to the Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate Analytics or have a CiteScore percentile in the Scopus database of at least 35 in the scientific field corresponding to the applicant’s specialty. For applicants for academic degrees in the social sciences and humanities, articles and reviews indexed in the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index of the Web of Science Core Collection database from Clarivate Analytics are also taken into account.
- Articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journals — These include articles of the “Article” or “Review” type, corresponding to the thematic focus of the journal, declared in the specified databases. Publication in international journals with an interdisciplinary focus is allowed (Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, General, Miscellaneous).
- Percentile rank by CiteScore in the database Scopus — The indicator is taken into account for the year of publication specified in the database, or at the time of submission of the applicant’s certification file to the authorized body.
- Quartile by data Journal Citation Reports — Determined by the publication’s impact factor.
Requirements for obtaining the title of Associate Professor:
The titles of associate professor (associate professor) and professor are awarded by the authorized body in the field of science and higher education to employees of scientific organizations, institutions of higher and postgraduate education (IHPE) based on the submission of their candidacies by the academic councils of these organizations.
It is necessary to have continuous experience in scientific or scientific-pedagogical activity for at least three years after defending the dissertation.
- According to the legislation, at least 14 scientific articles are required in periodical scientific publications corresponding to the applicant’s specialty and published after defending the dissertation, including 10 articles in publications recommended by the authorized body (KKSON), and two scientific articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journals.
- From 1 September 2025, a requirement will also be introduced for two scientific articles published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals in which the applicant is listed as the first author or corresponding author.
If the number of scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals exceeds the established minimum, one such article is counted as two publications in publications recommended by the authorized body (KKSON).
One of the mandatory conditions for obtaining the title of associate professor is the presence of:
- monographs recommended by the Academic Council (published within the last 5 (five) years, volume of at least 6 (six) printed sheets belonging to the applicant);
- an educational (educational and methodological) manual or textbook written individually and recommended by the Academic Council, the Republican Educational and Methodological Council or an authorized state body (published within the last 5 (five) years, with a volume of at least 6 (six) printed sheets, used in the educational process for at least 1 (one) academic year).
Persons who have defended a dissertation under his supervision and have an academic degree (candidate of science, doctor of science, doctor of philosophy (PhD), doctor in the profile) or an academic degree of doctor of philosophy (PhD), doctor in the profile, or a degree of doctor of philosophy (PhD), doctor in the profile.
However, this condition does not need to be met if there are 3 (three) scientific articles in addition to those specified in paragraph 1, If:
- they are published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals included in the 1st and 2nd quartiles according to the Journal Citation Reports of Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science);
- have a CiteScore percentile score of at least 50 in at least one scientific field in the Scopus database.
Conclusions and recommendations:
So, today we have looked at the basic requirements for obtaining the academic title of Associate Professor (Associate Professor), as well as future requirements that will come into force in 2025. Many of you are interested in which option to choose for scientific publications so that it is the fastest and most cost-effective. Now we will share our professional opinion and help you save money and time.
Option 1 — publication of 10 articles in KKSON, 2 articles in Scopus with a percentile of at least 35 and 3 articles in Scopus with a percentile of at least 50%, where the author is a corresponding author — $16,000.
Option 2 — 10 articles in KKSON, 2 articles in the Web of Science journal in the 3rd quartile according to JCR and 3 articles in Scopus with a percentile of at least 50, where the author is a corresponding author — $15,800.
3rd option — 10 articles in the KKSON, 2 articles in the Web of Science journal in the 3rd quartile according to JCR and writing and publishing a textbook recommended by the Academic Council, published in the last 5 (five) years, with a volume of at least 6 (six) printed sheets, used in the educational process for at least 1 (one) academic year — $13,000.
4th option — publication of 10 articles in the KKSON, 2 articles in Scopus with a percentile of at least 35, and writing and publishing a textbook recommended by the Academic Council, published over the past 5 (five) years, with a volume of at least 6 (six) printed sheets, used in the educational process for at least 1 (one) academic year — $13,200.
So, let's sum up which option will be the fastest, cheapest and least problematic.
Cheapest: Provided that your university has an academic council that can recommend a textbook, the cheapest option will be option number 3. If there is no council, then option number 2 (although this is individual and depends on the field of knowledge).
The fastest: Option number 1 will be the fastest, but it will also be the most expensive.
Least problematic: Option 1 will also be the least problematic, since publishing articles in Scopus journals will be the easiest.
Which option to choose is up to you. The Academy of Articles provides a full range of services for writing and publishing scientific articles, as well as writing and publishing a textbook.
