Academic corruption is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that can distort the core functions of scientific processes and lead to the reproduction of injustice and inefficiency within higher education systems. This study aims to identify the strategies adopted by academic actors in dealing with corruption in universities. Using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis method, data were collected through 25 semi-structured interviews with faculty members and PhD students at Shiraz and Yasouj universities. The analysis led to the identification of eight main categories and 33 sub-themes. The main categories include: objectification of students, deliberate silence, mutual bribery, outsourcing, blackmailing, collaborative corruption, symbolic legitimization, and role displacement. These corruption strategies reveal that academic corruption, in many cases, has become normalized and institutionalized within structures and power relations. It appears that academic actors, by internalizing informal rules and adapting their actions to contextual interests and field logics, not only reproduce corruption but also present it as a rational and legitimate response to institutional conditions.
Panahi nejhad, N. and Beheshti, S. S. (2026). Academic Corruption Strategies Reinterpreting the Experiences of Faculty Members and PhD Students at Shiraz and Yasouj Universities. Strategic Research on Social Problems, (), -. doi: 10.22108/srspi.2026.147943.2199
MLA
Panahi nejhad, N. , and Beheshti, S. S. . "Academic Corruption Strategies Reinterpreting the Experiences of Faculty Members and PhD Students at Shiraz and Yasouj Universities", Strategic Research on Social Problems, , , 2026, -. doi: 10.22108/srspi.2026.147943.2199
HARVARD
Panahi nejhad, N., Beheshti, S. S. (2026). 'Academic Corruption Strategies Reinterpreting the Experiences of Faculty Members and PhD Students at Shiraz and Yasouj Universities', Strategic Research on Social Problems, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22108/srspi.2026.147943.2199
CHICAGO
N. Panahi nejhad and S. S. Beheshti, "Academic Corruption Strategies Reinterpreting the Experiences of Faculty Members and PhD Students at Shiraz and Yasouj Universities," Strategic Research on Social Problems, (2026): -, doi: 10.22108/srspi.2026.147943.2199
VANCOUVER
Panahi nejhad, N., Beheshti, S. S. Academic Corruption Strategies Reinterpreting the Experiences of Faculty Members and PhD Students at Shiraz and Yasouj Universities. Strategic Research on Social Problems, 2026; (): -. doi: 10.22108/srspi.2026.147943.2199
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