SOCIAL SCIENCES 1SS3 - Inquiry in the Social Sciences: This Is(n't) America

Welcome to the Social Sciences 1SS3 CO6: This Is(n't) America Research Guide. The goal of this guide is to help you develop effective research questions, teach you how to critically analyze scholarly sources as well as how to properly cite these sources.

McMaster University Faculty of Social Sciences

McMaster University stands on the traditional territory shared between the Haudenosaunee confederacy and the Anishinabe nations. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties, is within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement and is directly adjacent to Haldiman Treaty territory.

We must acknowledge a debt to those who were here before us, and recognize our responsibility, as guests, to respect and honour the intimate relationship Indigenous peoples have to this land. 

Book a one-on-one research consultation with a librarian via Team, Zoom, phone or email.

Use our virtual chat service Ask a Librarian to get a quick answer to any research related questions you may have.

Visit the Research Help page on the Library website to find out more information about research at a university level.

Our extensive collection of online journals, books, videos, and more is available as usual.

• Online resources can be accessed through the Library by logging in with your MAC ID when attempting to access an item. More information can be found on the Library's Off-Campus Access webpage. A VPN connection is not required.
• Articles and chapters from print journal volumes or print books can be scanned and delivered to you electronically.
  • For journal articles: find your journal in the library catalogue and use the scan and send link displayed in the record (you will be asked for article details in the form).
  • For book chapters: find your book in the catalogue and use the scan one chapter link displayed in the record.
  • Note: When searching, make sure to choose the Catalogue option, not the Discovery option, to find materials owned by the Library.

No access is available to physical collections at Russell Archives, Archives and Research Collections, or Maps, Data, GIS. Staff will respond to reference queries as possible.

• Some materials from these collections are available online in the Library’s Digital Archive
• A number of our archival collections have been digitized through partnerships with external publishers. These collections are fully available to all McMaster students, faculty and staff from off-campus by logging in with your MAC ID.

As well, many publishers are opening up content while campuses move online. A select list of these resources is available.

The Library's membership in HathiTrust provides access to millions of titles. Check the Library's information page for details on the HathiTrust collection and access.

The Internet Archive (click "Books" in the header) and their Open Library project provide access to digitized books, many of which can be "borrowed" for up to 14 days. You will need to create a free Internet Archive account to borrow.