This page is part of MIT's Guidelines for Ethical Authorship and Publication Practices.
Members of the MIT Community
Listing MIT as your affiliation on a publication—such as a journal article, report, white paper, or presentation—signals that the work is connected to MIT research or activities. Affiliation practices can vary by discipline and context, but in general, your affiliation should reflect the institution(s) where you were working or studying when the research was conducted. The goal is to link the work to the place where the data was collected, analyzed, or where most of the research or scholarly work took place, even if you have since moved to a different institution. If your current address is different from your affiliation at the time of the research, you can list it separately in an author footnote or acknowledgment. Because expectations differ across fields and journals, it’s always a good idea to check discipline norms or review submission guidelines before submitting.
You should only use your MIT name and affiliation on work that you have personally reviewed and to which you have made a meaningful contribution as part of your role at MIT—such as serving as a co-author or being otherwise appropriately credited. Adding your MIT affiliation to work you didn’t contribute to or review in connection with MIT-related research or scholarly activities can be misleading and may raise concerns about the appropriate use of MIT’s name.
In some cases, individuals discover that their name and MIT affiliation were added to a publication without their knowledge or contribution. If this happens, you should request removal as soon as possible. If you need help navigating the situation, MIT’s Institute Use of Name Officer in the Institute Office of Communications and the OVPR’s Research Integrity team are available to support you.
IS&T Special User Accounts (Formerly “Sponsored” or “Guest” Accounts)
People who are not formally affiliated with MIT—such as visitors, research affiliates, collaborators, or temporary project contributors—may be eligible for an IS&T Special Account that grants the account holder privileges to access certain MIT resources for MIT-related research or scholarly activities. These accounts are requested and sponsored by a current MIT faculty or staff member, who serves as the primary point of contact.
Special accounts are meant to support legitimate MIT-related work that requires access to MIT systems, including the use of an “@mit.edu” email address. Examples include contract or temporary individuals working for an MIT department, guests, visitors, or research affiliates working on MIT projects, and former MIT students or staff who are continuing their work with their department for a period of time after ending their formal affiliation with the Institute. Sponsors are responsible for making sure the account is used appropriately and for requesting deactivation once the individual’s MIT-related work ends.
Using MIT Special Accounts Responsibly
Because special accounts provide access to MIT resources, including the privilege of an “@mit.edu” email address, it’s important to use them thoughtfully and in compliance with MIT’s IS&T User Accounts Policy. The privileges granted through a Special Account do not extend to the account holder’s use of MIT resources, name, or affiliation in connection with any communications or publications that are independent of the MIT-related work for which the Special Account was sponsored. Sponsoring an account for someone who is not actively engaged in MIT-related activities—or allowing an account to be used inappropriately—can create security, compliance, cost, and affiliation concerns. If questions arise, both the sponsor and the account holder may be asked to help MIT review the situation for a determination whether any follow-up steps are needed beyond deactivating the account.