Challenges and Implications of Mandatory Publication in International Peer-Reviewed Journals: Perspectives from PhD Students in Kazakhstan

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Enhancing Doctoral Education in Kazakhstan: Evaluating the Publication Requirement Reform

Proposal

The requirement for PhD students to publish in peer-reviewed journals is becoming a standard component of doctoral program completion in some non-Western contexts (Cargill et al., 2018; Horta and Li, 2023). The policy of mandatory publication in international peer-reviewed journals in the frame of completing the Ph.D. program is deemed to increase the research capacity of future scholars, strengthen universities’ position in league tables, and open doors to the global academic community. In Kazakhstan, this policy has been recently implemented as one of the key elements of the nation’s broader educational reforms aimed at aligning higher education with international standards. However, the implementation of this policy raises several important questions regarding institutional capacity, student preparedness, and the broader academic environment.
This study aimed to understand why and how the policy of mandatory publication in peer-reviewed journals as part of completing a Ph.D program is being implemented. More specifically, the study explored the rationale behind implementing the policy from Ph.D students’ perspectives, Ph.D. students’ experiences with the policy, and the mechanisms universities have put in place to support compliance.
Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with PhD students. In addition, a content analysis of relevant policy documents and institutional guidelines was conducted to assess the formal frameworks guiding the implementation of this requirement.
Preliminary findings suggest that students believed that the policy was mainly put to increase the quality of Ph.D. programs and Ph.D. theses along with increasing the academic status of Kazakhstani universities at the global scale. While the policy has had several positive side effects, such as enhancing PhD students' research capacity and providing opportunities to engage with global knowledge through international publications, significant challenges were observed. PhD students often struggle to publish in high-impact international journals due to insufficient human resources for building student research capacity and a lack of support in methodological preparation. Faculty supervisors themselves have limited involvement in global international publishing. Consequently, faculty members often lack the knowledge and the skills to adequately supervise students through the publication process. Additionally, the methodological preparation of Ph.D. students, particularly in social sciences where many rely on literature review as their primary research method was another important obstacle to successful publication at the international level. This narrow focus on secondary research has its roots in the Soviet legacy, which historically developed in isolation and paid little attention to empirical research in the social sciences (Kuzhabekova, 2019). As a result, Ph.D. publications in these fields often lack the methodological rigor expected by reputable international journals, making them less attractive for publication. This challenge is compounded by linguistic barriers doctoral students experience both in accessing international publications and producing articles for reputable journals.
The study's findings provide practical recommendations and insights for doctoral education reform in Kazakhstan and global scholarship on doctoral education. Foremostly, the study suggests revising the PhD admission criteria, with a particular focus on the English language proficiency and research skills of prospective students.

Authors

• Aliya Kuzhabekova, University of Calgary

• Botagoz Ispambetova, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan