Request a Website for Research
If you’re looking to create a website for your research or research group there are different options at McMaster.
Faculty-Specific Options
Faculty of Business: DeGroote School of Business
Research groups, institutes, and centres associated with the DeGroote School of Business (DSB) can contact the DeGroote Marketing and Communications team to learn more about the available options for website development. While DSB does not offer website development for individual researchers, it does offer individual profile pages on the DeGroote Research website.
Faculty of Engineering
Connect with your Faculty IT Unit.
Faculty of Humanities
What is available: Central WordPress using MacSites theme
Customization options: Development of custom applications in the cloud is offered using Akami, a cloud computing platform
Support services offered by unit: Generally lab websites, project websites, etc. (not individual sites)
Cost: In-kind support (added to grant proposal)
Accessibility and McMaster brand compliance: Use central WordPress templates (MacSites)
How to request a website: Submit a ticket or send an email to: belljm@mcmaster.ca
Faculty of Health Sciences
What is available: WordPress (MacSites)
Customization options: Available through Media Production Services (MPS)
Support services offered by unit: Generally lab websites; not individual researcher websites. FHS form available to request a website for the following FHS-affiliated groups/areas:
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Departments, Programs
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Administrative Units
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Institutes / Centers
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Research Labs
Cost: No cost
Accessibility and McMaster brand compliance: FHS uses the central MacSites/WordPress template. Users are required to have their content reviewed by FHS Communications & CSU prior to launch
How to request a website: Submit a ticket
Faculty of Science
Please contact your Faculty IT unit: scitech@mcmaster.ca.
Faculty of Social Sciences
Please contact the FSS Communications team via JIRA ticket: Submit a ticket.
Institutional Options
Media Production Services
What is available: WordPress ecosystem developed and maintained by Media Production Services (MPS) at McMaster University
Customization options: The latest WordPress and plugin updates are available on a regular release cycle. Training and documentation are provided and maintained. Some integrations with Mac Experts. Features are regularly built and released with researchers in mind
Support services offered by unit: MPS offers maintenance, security updates, accessibility improvements and adds ongoing new features to supported websites. Infrastructure and WordPress security is managed and maintained in partnership with MPS and UTS
Cost: Monthly subscription fee billed annually at fiscal start. For detailed cost breakdowns, discounts and initial project options, please consult the “Getting Started with MacSites” form, which outlines pricing
Accessibility and McMaster brand compliance: Full ongoing compliance with CMPA standards with new features. Continued compliance and support with the AODA WCAG legislative guidelines
How to request a website: Fill out the “Getting Started with MacSites” form
Research & High-Performance Computing Support (RHPCS)
What is available: Researchers can setup a service contract with RHPCS to handle hosting your site
Customization options: RHPCS maintains the web hosting platforms. Website owners are responsible for other maintenance and development tasks, including security-related updates (e.g., WordPress updates, AODA compliance, custom coding, etc.).
Support services offered by unit: As it relates to security, there are some aspects of the web hosting platforms that RHPCS has to maintain (e.g. operating system updates). There are other aspects of maintenance that are the web site owner’s responsibility (e.g. WordPress updates). Then there are other aspects that neither RHPCS nor a researcher would be able to maintain and site developers or programmers would need to be involved, and that would be up to the researcher to arrange
Cost:$125/year (plus $125 initial setup fee)
Accessibility and McMaster brand compliance: Researchers will have to independently maintain AODA and McMaster brand compliance. Explore the Accessible Digital Content Training Pressbook
How to request a website: Contact RHPCS via email
McMaster Experts
Your public-facing research profile at McMaster facilitating collaboration between researchers (faculty & staff only). Explore the McMaster Experts User Guide to learn more.
Training
- Building JavaScript Websites 1: Styling Modern Web Appslearn to apply consistent design standards to a JavaScript web site
- Building JavaScript Websites 2: Designing for Mobile UIlearn to design your web site to work for desktop and mobile sized screens
- Building JavaScript Websites 3: Easy Steps to AODA Compliancelearn to adapt UI controls in a JavaScript web site to be accessible
- Less is More: Create Minimal Websites with Jekyllin this workshop, students will start with a basic Jekyll website template, walk through how to create and edit pages in Markdown, explore how to customize the layout and design with CSS, and how to deploy and host their finished site (for free!) on GitHub Pages
Feedback
The Digital Research Kickstarter is a living document that will be refined as we gather more information from users. We encourage and welcome any feedback. Please submit your feedback below or by emailing AskResearch.
