Crimes and Misconduct Against Academic Research: From Etiological Criminology to the Enhancement of Criminal Policy

A profound and enduring challenge confronting crimes and misconduct against academic research in Iran lies in the growing proliferation of diverse forms such as plagiarism, data fabrication and manipulation, and the expansion of informal markets for the production of academic works, alongside the relative inefficiency of mechanisms for detection, prevention, and criminal and disciplinary response. This constellation of factors has posed a structural threat to the integrity and credibility of the scientific system. The significance of this study rests in its departure from purely descriptive approaches toward a multi-level criminological analysis of this phenomenon, while also proposing a framework for the reconfiguration of Iran’s criminal policy across legislative, judicial, and executive domains. According to the main hypothesis, crimes against academic research are driven less by individual deviance than by the interaction of structural factors (the quantitative pressures embedded in academic evaluation systems), organizational factors (weaknesses in university oversight), and opportunity-related factors (deficiencies in detection and control mechanisms). Accordingly, an effective criminal policy requires a shift away from a purely punitive approach toward a hybrid preventive–restorative model. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology with an interdisciplinary orientation, relying on documentary analysis (including relevant laws and regulations) and employing selected criminological theoretical frameworks. The findings indicate that regulatory fragmentation and inconsistency, weaknesses in the certainty and swiftness of responses, and the dominance of quantitative metrics in academic evaluation constitute the primary conditions for the reproduction of these offenses, while situational and cultural preventive tools have not been systematically implemented. Consequently, the redesign of Iran’s criminal policy in this domain necessitates legislative reform aimed at the consolidation and harmonization of regulations, alongside the strengthening of effective and proportionate sanctions. It further requires enhancing the efficiency and specialization of judicial authorities, and, at the executive level, the establishment of intelligent detection systems, ...