ABSTRACT Research misconduct has become an increasing concern in higher education systems worldwide, yet little is known about how it manifests in post‐Soviet contexts. This study examines the drivers of research misconduct in Kazakhstan's higher education system using Davis's (2003) multi‐level framework. The analysis draws on qualitative semi‐structured interviews with 19 faculty members from universities across Kazakhstan representing different disciplines, institutional types and career stages. The findings confirm the relevance of commonly identified drivers of research misconduct, including publication pressures, weak institutional oversight and limited research capacity. At the same time, the study shows how these drivers operate within a research system characterised by institutional transition and epistemic regime hybridity. Kazakhstan's academic environment reflects the coexistence of Soviet‐inherited academic traditions, globally oriented research evaluation systems and emerging national knowledge agendas. The study contributes to research integrity scholarship by demonstrating how hybrid institutional environments shape the drivers and governance of research misconduct in transitional higher education systems.
Kuzhabekova et al. (Sat,) studied this question.