Citationmachine.

net
WHITE PAPER - USABILITY REPORT
AUTHOR: MAGGIE HEIDENREICH
CLASS: ENGLISH 317-07, UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
PROFESSOR: KAREN THOMPSON
DATE: 4/16/16

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................ 2
Methods...................................................................................................................... 2
Tasks........................................................................................................................ 3
Test Environment..................................................................................................... 3
Evaluative Criteria................................................................................................... 3
Results........................................................................................................................ 4
Raw Data................................................................................................................. 5
Discussion............................................................................................................... 6
Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 7
Bibliography............................................................................................................... 9

Introduction
Citationmachine.net (citation machine) is a website that automatically
generates citations in a given users desired formatting. The purpose of
this white paper is to report the findings of a usability test performed
on the free and public version, meaning no user account required, of
the citation machine and then to provide user recommendations based
upon those findings. For the purposes of this report, it is assumed that
the users are undergraduate students who utilize the citation machine
to generate citations for bibliographies and works cited pages for
various school papers. I have been assigned to perform a usability test
and provide a white paper by my class instructor of English 317 for the
University of Idaho. I was able to select my own topic of choice and
selected the citation machine as my subject of research. This report is
the assigned deliverable (white paper) as described above. I chose the
given website due to the significant value it has provided me over the
years as an undergraduate student as well as my own embodiment of
the intended user.

Methods
To perform the usability test I had to first address the influence(s) of
any factors that could inhibit the consistency or integrity of the
evaluation. Possible factors of concern include my own previous bias
toward the citation machine, my prior knowledge of user features, and
any external factors that may be influencing my perspective at the
time of testing. To limit the effects of my previous bias and knowledge,
I pretend that I am an English student at the University of Idaho. The
situation I applied to generate testing criteria is below, with I being in
reference to the persona taken on for testing purposes.
I am a freshman at the University of Idaho. I am in my first
writing class in college
and have been asked to write a
research paper for my biology class. This is a big report and
the teacher has been adamant that we use MLA formatting. I
dont really know what that is, I think its to do with a
bibliography I remember my friend saying that he used
citationmachine.net to create his; Im going to try that out for
this report
An assumption I made in beginning of this study is that the citations
generated by the citation machine were accurate. To test my
assumption I requested that two individuals with a literary and
research background check the accuracy of a list of generated

citations. MD and author of Greyhound therapy Eric Heidenreich along

with NP and Editor Tanya Heidenreich, concluded that the citations
generated by the Citation Machine were materially accurate.

Tasks
Each task performed was first attempted without the use of
external assistance including other individuals, internet, or help
sections of the web page. Activities performed to evaluate
usability of the citation machine include the following

Create a complete web page citation for which limited

publication information is known
Create a complete video citation for which limited
publication information is known
Edit a grammatical error in a completed citation
Create an in-text citation
Transfer generated data from web page to word
Save generated citations for future use

Test Environment
The following criteria is consistent throughout the usability test to
assist in consistency, detailed descriptions are listed below the
subjects.
Equipment & Software

Desktop: Windows Surface Pro 3

o Wireless & detached full size keyboard and mouse
(Logitech)
Operating Software: Windows 10, Office Word 2016

Location, Date, & Time

Boise Idaho, Business Office of relatives home.

April 9th 2016, 9 AM 11 AM with one ten minute brake at 10
AM

Evaluative Criteria.
All tasks are evaluated on the basis of my perceived success ratings in
completing the action. I then evaluate the degree to which the criteria
was met based on a Likert scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the greatest

score and 1 being the lowest. The evaluative criteria is listed within the
template for data collection below. The collection form is designed as a
master Likert chart with space for notes to be taken with regard to my
own user experience.

Likert Scale Usability Test for citationmachine.net (free

public version)

Notes

*This given task (a:f) can be completed, without use of any help sections
of the web page and/or other external sources such as google, within one
minute from the start of the task

Rating Task

5
Strongly
Agree

4
Agr
ee

3
Neutr
al

2
Disagr
ee

1
Stron
gly
Disagr
ee

(a) Create a complete

web page citation
(b) Create a complete
video citation
(c) Edit a
grammatical
error in a
completed
citation
(d) Transfer
generated data
from web page
to word
( e ) Save
generated
citations for
future use
( f ) Create a
parenthetical for
a given citation

Following testing, I add the scores of each task to arrive at a total

score. Every additional number is an equal additional point so a score
of 5 results in 5 points being added to the total while a score of 1 adds
one point to the total. The best score possible is 30 (6 tasks * 5 points).
The score is then divided by the total possible to arrive at a
percentage. A percentage is used to better understand the score as a

judge of performance, similar to that of an academic grading scale.

The calculated score will then indicate a usability rating be given to
citationmahine.net. The ratings and the associated scores are listed in
the table below.
Point
s
27 30
24 26
21 25
18 30
05 30

Percentag
es
90% <

Rating

80 89.9%

Above
Average
Average

70 79.9 %
60 69.9%
< 59.9%

Outstanding

Below
Average
Failing

Results
The Usability test, performed under the conditions and parameters
stated, reveals that citationmahine.net, without an account, has an
above average degree of usability.

Raw Data
Likert Scale Usability Test for citationmachine.net
(free public version)
* This given task(a:e)can be completed, without use of any
help sections of the web page and/or other external sources
such as google, within one minute from the start of the task.

Rating
Task

5
Strong
ly
Agree

Create a complete web

page citation

Create a complete
video citation

Edit a
grammatical
error in a

4
Agr
ee

3
Neutr
al

2
Disagr
ee

Notes Taken during

test phase
*Positive notes denoted
by +
*Negative notes denoted
by -

1
Stron
gly
Disagr
ee

+clear guidance for

format
+clear guidance for data
entry
+ accounts for missing
data
+highlights
+ same features as with
web page citations
+ Ability to change entry
exists

completed
citation

Transfer
generated
data from web
page to word

Save
generated
citations for
future use

Create a
parenthetical
for a given
citation

Totals

10

- no direct in line
corrections can be made
from the bibliography
- editing erases the
correct data as well, time
is wasted re-typing
correct information.
-unable to download to
work w/o account but
access to copy and paste
feature is clear
-Save Feature is only
available with the
registered version
+web page will keep a
record of your
bibliography if you do not
exit out of the web page /
internet
-no clear direction as to
what this is used for
+may copy and paste
+generated automatically
with citation
(24/30)= 80%

Discussion
The citation machine, with no account, serves the desired purpose for the
user. I was able to perform all of the 5 tasks tested within one minute while
utilizing no external assistance. The only task I did not perceive to be at a
level of 4 or 5 was the ability to save the citations created for future use. An
account is required to save the citations directly on the web page. Though
the user is not technically
able to save the data, there is
intuitive for the average user.
Citation machine.net provides
a copy and paste feature,
with which students can copy
and paste data to a word
document to save onto his or
her computer.

A few of the tasks were met the criteria

listed but did not exceed expectations or
required that I click in more than one
spot. For instance, I hoped I could
change a word in a given citation by
simply double clicking on the word and
editing the text in-line. This is not
possible, however, the editing process is
simple, allowing the user to change their
given information on the previous form
and then updating the citation when the
user clicks update. This process can be
seen in images 1.2 and1.3

Image
1.3

Image 1.2*

An interesting factor that I did not test directly, but indirectly, is the usability
of the citation machine in identifying errors in missing information. Many
times there is missing information and one must use generic information or
skip the data line to accurately report the source. The citation machine
allows you to do so and simply creates the citation with what you have
entered into the system. Though this adds to the ease of use for my own
case, it may hinder someone who, by mistake, did not include the
appropriate sourcing information.

Conclusion
I recommended that any student that is required to write papers use
citationmachine.net without signing up for the user account. If writing a
document of significant importance, I recommend that the given user ask for
a fellow peer or advisor to review the citations to ensure complete entries
have been made.

The citation machine will be easier to use and understand for new users if he
or she knows the media genre and formatting style that is preferred by the
professor. This prior knowledge will ensure the appropriate format can be
selected from the beginning while making one more familiar with the
language used in the selection panes. Furthermore, I recommend keeping a
record of sources used throughout the writing process, using
ciatationmachine.net to generate the formatted sources at the time of use
and then copying and pasting the citations to a word document. This will
enable make for an easier time in creating the final bibliography while
providing a place to save the information on the users computer without the
need for an online account.

Bibliography
Citation Machine automatically generates citations in MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, and thousands
more! (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2016, from http://www.citationmachine.net/