GET “R.E.A.L.” Website Evaluation in 4 easy steps

Not all websites are created equal…

So, before you use a website, You need to get R.E.A.L.

Read the URL… Look for the owning entity (person, company, or organization) in the website address (URL). Are they an authority on the subject? Are they trying to sell you something? Might they be biased? Identify the URL extension: .gov, .com, .mil, .edu, .org, .net

Examine the content… Based on what you already know about your topic, is the information on the website useful & accurate? Are additional links and resources provided? Is the site current and updated? (look for a date, often at the bottom of the webpage)

Ask about the author or owner… Sometimes the author is hard to find. Look for clues in the URL or the “about us” pages Note: an ~ before a name means that you are on a personal webpage

Look at the links… Look at links to other websites. Are the links credible? Use altavista.com to look for “back” links by typing link:http://theurlyouwanttocheck.com

Be a smart and responsible researcher… R.E.A.L.

WORKS CITED Brandt, Sherry. Get R.E.A.L. adaptation. Argyle: Harpool Middle School Library. 2010. Ohlone College Library. “Evaluating Websites or How “Emma” and “Len” Quickly Selected the Best Web Sites and Had Enough Time Left Over to Go For Coffee Before Class.” 23 Nov. 2009. Online video clip. YouTube. Accessed on 6 Sept. 2011. November, Alan. Web Literacy for Educators. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. 2008. Students, Microsoft® Clip Organizer 2002.  Microsoft Corporation 1983-2001. Redmond, Washington.