Our institute places great emphasis on good scientific practice. Thus, the MPI-M has formulated a policy on authorship and the use of primary data in scientific publications. This policy follows the guidelines for good scientific practice of the Max Planck Society (MPG) and the 2019 guidelines of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Further information about the policy for good scientific practice and the role of the ombudsperson at the MPI-M is available to all institute members on the intranet. The policies for scientific practice will be repeatedly reviewed and updated.

For all publications, authors are expected to archive and make available the primary data for at least 10 years. The MPI-M is responsible for managing the archive and for sharing the information upon request. The MPI-M continues to set the highest standards for authorship of scientific publications. The corresponding author of each published study is responsible for ensuring that the study complies with the guidelines for good scientific practice. The guidelines of the institute are revised and renewed on a regular basis.

As a further element of good scientific practice, the MPI-M encourages and supports the publication of software written at the institute as "Free and Open Source Software". Part of this policy is the regulation of usage and distribution rights between authors of the software and the Max Planck Society (see the agreement form). This ensures that the authorship of the software remains visible even if the software is passed on or further developed. More details can be found in the MPI-M Software Policy. Questions can be addressed to the licensee.

In general, questions or concerns about this issue can be referred to the MPI-M Directors or Ombudspersons.