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Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law

Head of Section:

General Editor: Anne Peters

Managing Editor: Margrét Sólveigardóttir

About the Project:

Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (MPEPIL)

The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (MPEPIL) was first published as an online database by Oxford University Press in 2008. It has since become one of the most widely read and quoted reference works in international law. A ten-volume print edition appeared in 2012, and three thematic volumes have been published since 2015.

The Encyclopedia had several noteworthy precursors, starting with Karl Strupp’s Wörterbuch des Völkerrechts und der Diplomatie (1924–1929), Hans Jürgen Schlochauer’s Wörterbuch des Völkerrechts (1960–1962) and Rudolf Bernhardt’s Encyclopedia of Public International Law (EPIL), published from 1981 to 2003 under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, published under the editorship of Rüdiger Wolfrum from 2008–2020, seeks to continue this renowned series of reference works. In 2021, Anne Peters took over the general editorship.

MPEPIL articles combine elements of a reference work with a law journal approach. Authors are requested to cover their topic comprehensively and ─ as far as possible ─ impartially but also to add a personal assessment. All articles are peer-reviewed. As a contemporary restatement of international law the publication is designed to assist both practitioners and scholars.

The Encyclopedia is continuously being updated and extended. A comprehensive revision of all entries in need of updating has been ongoing since 2018. So far, more than 900 academics and practitioners from across the world have contributed over 1,700 entries.

In 2013, the MPEPIL was cross-linked with the OPIL platform, allowing research across a number of OUP databases and full text sources. The MPEPIL also contains hyperlinked cross-references to the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (MPEiPro) and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (MPECCoL).

Three thematic volumes have additionally been published in print (International Economic Law 2015; International Law of Armed Conflict and the Use of Force 2017; International Development Law 2019).

Click here for more information: www.mpepil.com

Inquiries about MPEPIL should be directed to

From 2014 to 2020, the MPEPIL was published under the auspices of the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law. Its office was retransferred to the Max Planck Institute in 2021.

Advisory Board: Shotaro Hamamoto; Marcelo Kohen; Lauri Mälksoo; Hélène Ruiz Fabri; Dire Tladi; Rüdiger Wolfrum; Michael Wood

Original Members: Armin von Bogdandy; Edith Brown Weiss; Jean-Pierre Cot; Yoram Dinstein; Thomas M. Franck †; Jochen Abr. Frowein; Meinhard Hilf; Rahmatullah Khan; Martti Koskenniemi; Thomas Läufer; Thomas A. Mensah †; Hanspeter Neuhold; F. Orrego Vicuña †; W. Michael Reisman; Bruno Simma; Daniel Thürer; Christian Tomuschat; Tullio Treves; Michael Wood

  


Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law

On 1 January 2024, the Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Procedural Law (MPEiPro), which focusses primarily on procedural aspects of dispute settlement and adjudication performed by international institutions, was transferred from the MPI Luxembourg for Procedural Law to the MPIL, with Anne Peters taking on the role of General Editor. Hélène Ruiz Fabri (General Editor of MPEiPro 2016-2023) remains involved, acting as the Special Editor for Procedural Law and continuing her responsibilities guiding the editorial direction of the content related to international procedural law.

The hosting of MPEPIL and MPEiPro in the same institution marks a new stage for both projects, increasing and enhancing the cooperation and collaboration of the editorial teams.

Inquiries about MPEiPro should be directed to .