Jump to Content Jump to Main Navigation

Open Access and the Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law

We are excited to share that we are aiming to convert the Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law from paid subscription to a subscribe to open model.

Though common within journals publishing, this is a novel application of the subscribe to open model to a product other than a journal. 

If we meet our goal with enough customers choosing to renew their subscription by March 2025, then we will make the Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law freely accessible for everyone from April 2025. 

This then repeats every year—if customers continue to renew, then it will remain open to all. 


Why we are making this change

The Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law is the leading resource in the field—a comprehensive, analytical resource containing peer-reviewed articles on every aspect of international law. 

International law provides a common legal framework for the whole world. By converting the Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law to a subscribe to open model, and therefore making this content freely available globally, this would provide a truly significant benefit for students, scholars, practitioners, and governments in developing countries.

With subscribe to open we will be able to achieve this wide dissemination of our high-quality content in a sustainable way, through continued customer subscriptions. This aligns with our continuing mission to further excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Professor Anne Peters, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, and General Editor of the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, explains why the Max Planck Institutes and Society are also excited about this initiative:

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to participate in a pioneering Open Access project, particularly in view of the foundational role played by the Max Planck Society in launching the move towards open scholarship. Open Access can contribute to epistemic justice and pluralism—and what we call “encyclopaedic knowledge” should not only be distributed freely, but also be built up from a globally diverse set of standpoints.”


What happens next?

We are communicating directly with our customers about this initiative. If you are a librarian and would like more information, please contact your OUP sales rep.

If you are a researcher, we encourage you to get in touch with your librarian and recommend Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law.