Access Software for Research
Software Available for Download
- McMaster Software Licensing for Faculty and StaffMcMaster University offers a variety of Microsoft 365 apps, including Microsoft Office 365, at no charge to faculty and staff
- McMaster Software Licensing for StudentsMcMaster University offers a variety of Microsoft 365 apps, including Microsoft Office 365, at no charge to students
- Microsoft 365 Resourceslearn more about M365 resources for researchers
Pre-Installed Software
Pre-installed software can be accessed on:
- McMaster University Library (MUL) workstationssoftware options include SPSS, ArcGIS, MATLAB
- Health Sciences Library (HSL) workstationssoftware options include SPSS
- UTS computer labssoftware options include AutoCAD, SPSS, Jupyter Notebook, Python, R, SAS
- Virtual desktopscan be used to remotely access UTS computer labs software
Faculties, departments, research groups, support units, Core Research Platforms, and Research Centres and Institutes may provision additional research software licenses, workstations, and/or remote access capability for various users.
Open-Source Software
Open-source software offers unique advantages, including the ability to modify and reuse code under public licenses. There are also many free, open-source, or commercial research software options. Be mindful of compliance rules and security when choosing what to use.
- Canadian Research Software Platformsfind Canadian open-source research software platforms
- Research Software Directoryfind additional open-source research software platforms
McMaster’s Research Software Development (RSD) team can provide assistance interpreting, modifying, and extending open-source software.
Purchasing Software
Faculty and staff should consult with their Faculty IT support team before purchasing research software. Students should consult with their research team and supervisor.
AskResearch
Email: askresearch@mcmaster.ca
AskResearch is here to support you as a researcher. If you can’t find what you’re looking for or aren't sure where to start, contact us!
Faculty Research Support
Faculties offer different services to support research. To see what services are available, connect with your Faculty’s IT support unit or Faculty research support.
- Faculty of Business: DeGroote School of Business ITS
- Faculty of Humanities: Humanities Media & Computing
- Faculty of Health Sciences: Computer Services Unit
- Faculty of Science: Scitech
- Faculty of Social Sciences: Social Sciences Technology SharePoint (access only available to Faculty of Social Science staff and faculty)
To receive timely support, engage with support services early in the research planning process and maintain communication throughout your projects. Staff and students should also discuss their digital research support roles and responsibilities with their research team and supervisor.
Additional Support
For help finding other distributed software and related support at McMaster and beyond, contact AskResearch.
For guidance on digitally safeguarding your research, contact Information Security.
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.
