The paper is devoted to the implementation of the principles of transparency and accessibility in legal acts regulating the procedure of academic certification in Russia. The authors highlight two characteristic properties of legal principles of accessibility and transparency. The paper examines the manifestation of principles of transparency and accessibility in federal legislation and local regulations of organizations that have the right to award academic degrees independently. The authors have determined local regulations subject to mandatory official publication in order to have the principle of publicity implemented. The paper provides examples of violations of the requirements of the current legislation in local regulations on the issues of independent awarding of academic degrees. The conclusion is made about the need for additional study of local regulation in order to eliminate contradictions and bring it into line with the principles of transparency and accessibility.

The aim of the work is to analyze the legal status of a senior researcher academic title, some problems  of applying the current legislation in terms of equating the academic title of a senior researcher with the academic  title of an associate professor. The methodology of the work consists of the formal legal method, the method of  interpreting the norms of law, the comparative legal method and the historical and legal method. The paper shows  the identified problems of legal regulation of the position of a senior researcher, the title of which was awarded  by a scientific organization in accordance with the legislation in force at that time. Based on the study of the  genesis of domestic legal regulation of the mechanism for conferring the academic titles of senior researcher and  associate professor, analysis of the provisions of the current sources of law, which are continued in the materials  of law enforcement practice, amendments to the current legislation are proposed that equalize the rights of senior  researchers, the title of which was awarded by state bodies, and those who have been awarded an academic title  by organizations.

The paper analyzes the experience of organizations that have the right to independently award academic degrees as to the issues of regulating the types of dissertation councils. The author provides examples of organizations that regulate the functioning of councils for the defense of individual dissertations for scientific degrees. The characteristic features of «one-time» dissertation councils are highlighted. The positive and negative aspects of the introduction of a «one-time» type of dissertation council into the state system of scientific certification are considered. The author proposes possible options for the normative fixing of individual mechanisms as to the functioning of the «one-time» type of dissertation council, as well as measures of responsibility for conducting an unfair dissertation defense. It is concluded that the integration of this type of dissertation council into the system of scientific certification will contribute to the achievement of the goal of the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation. This will also make it possible to solve a number of tasks facing the state amid great challenges, such as ensuring the formation of Russia’s leadership in scientific and technological sphere and overcoming the concentration of research potential in certain regions of the country.

The article discusses the implementation of the principles of transparency and accessibility in the regulations governing the procedure of scientific attestations in Russia. The characteristic properties of the legal principles of accessibility and publicity are highlighted. The article examines the manifestation of the principles of transparency and accessibility in federal legislation and local regulations of organizations that have the right to independently award academic degrees.