What This Guide Covers
Use the sections below to jump to the source type you need. Each section includes the correct format template and a worked example you can model your own citations on.
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How Harvard referencing works — The logic behind author-date citations and reference lists.
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Books and book chapters — Single author, multiple authors, edited volumes, and chapters within edited books.
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Journal articles — Print journals, online journals with DOI, and online journals without DOI.
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Websites and web pages — How to handle missing authors, missing dates, and government or institutional sources.
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Reports and official documents — Government reports, corporate reports, working papers, and institutional publications.
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Common mistakes to avoid — The errors that cost students marks most often.
How Harvard Referencing Works
Harvard referencing is an author-date citation system. Every time you use someone else's idea, fact, argument, or direct words in your assignment, you add a short citation in the text. At the end of the document, you provide a full reference list that gives the reader all the information they need to locate the source.
There are two components:
- In-text citation — appears within your text, immediately after the idea or quote: (Porter 1980) or (Porter 1980, p. 47).
- Reference list entry — appears at the end of your document, in alphabetical order by author surname, with full source details.
Every in-text citation must have a matching reference list entry. Every reference list entry must correspond to an in-text citation. There should never be a source in your reference list that does not appear in the text, or a citation in the text that does not appear in the reference list.
Important: "Harvard referencing" is not a single universal standard. Different universities publish their own Harvard guides with slight variations in punctuation, capitalisation, and formatting. Always check your institution's specific referencing guide alongside this general guide. Common variants include UQ Harvard, Anglia Ruskin Harvard, and Cite Them Right Harvard.
In-Text Citation Formats
Use the following formats depending on how you are using the source:
- Paraphrase (indirect citation) — You have rephrased the author's idea in your own words: (Smith 2019).
- Direct quote — You have reproduced the author's exact words: (Smith 2019, p. 45) — note the page number is required for direct quotes.
- Author as part of sentence — "As Smith (2019) argues..." — use this to integrate the citation more smoothly when you are directly referencing the author's contribution.
- Multiple sources at once — (Smith 2019; Jones 2021; Brown 2022) — separate with semicolons, typically listed in chronological order.
How to Cite Books in Harvard Referencing
Single Author Book
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s) (Year) Title of Book. Edition (if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher.
Reference List Entry
Porter, M.E. (1980)
Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. New York: Free Press.
In-Text Citation
(Porter 1980) or (Porter 1980, p. 47) or Porter (1980) argues that...
Two Authors
Format: Author1 Surname, Initial(s) and Author2 Surname, Initial(s) (Year) Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Reference List Entry
Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (2000)
Choices, Values, and Frames. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
In-Text Citation
(Kahneman and Tversky 2000)
Three or More Authors
In the reference list, list all authors. In the in-text citation, use the first author's surname followed by et al. (in italics in some guides, not in others — check your institution's style).
In-Text Citation
(Johnson et al. 2018)
Edited Book
Format: Editor Surname, Initial(s) (ed.) (Year) Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Reference List Entry
Buckingham, A. and Saunders, P. (eds.) (2004)
The Survey Methods Workbook. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Format: Chapter Author Surname, Initial(s) (Year) 'Title of chapter', in Editor Surname, Initial(s) (ed.) Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, pp. Page range.
Reference List Entry
Giddens, A. (2001) 'The globalizing of modernity', in Held, D. and McGrew, A. (eds.)
The Global Transformations Reader. Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 60–66.
In-Text Citation
(Giddens 2001, p. 62)
How to Cite Journal Articles in Harvard Referencing
Print Journal Article
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s) (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Page range.
Reference List Entry
Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1979) 'Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk',
Econometrica, 47(2), pp. 263–291.
In-Text Citation
(Kahneman and Tversky 1979) or (Kahneman and Tversky 1979, p. 265)
Online Journal Article with DOI
When a journal article has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), include it at the end of the reference. DOIs are permanent identifiers that remain stable even when URLs change.
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s) (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Page range. doi: DOI number.
Reference List Entry
Dweck, C.S. (2008) 'Mindsets and math/science achievement',
Carnegie Corporation of New York, 3(1), pp. 1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2007.09.002.
Online Journal Article without DOI
If no DOI is available, include the URL and accessed date.
Reference List Entry
Smith, J. (2021) 'Remote work and productivity: a systematic review',
Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 42(3), pp. 215–234. Available at: https://example.com/article (Accessed: 10 January 2024).
How to Cite Websites in Harvard Referencing
Citing websites correctly is one of the areas where students make the most errors. The key requirements are: the author or organisation, the year the page was published or last updated, the title of the specific page (not the website as a whole), the full URL, and the date you accessed it.
Standard Web Page
Format: Author/Organisation (Year) Title of webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Reference List Entry
NHS (2023)
Overview — Type 2 diabetes. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-2-diabetes/ (Accessed: 14 March 2024).
In-Text Citation
(NHS 2023)
Web Page with No Author
Use the name of the organisation or website as the author.
Reference List Entry
BBC News (2024)
UK inflation falls to 3.4% in February. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68579835 (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Web Page with No Date
If the page has no publication date, write (no date) in place of the year.
Reference List Entry
World Health Organization (no date)
Mental health: strengthening our response. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response (Accessed: 5 April 2024).
In-Text Citation
(World Health Organization, no date)
How to Cite Reports and Official Documents
Government Report
Format: Government Department/Organisation (Year) Title of Report. Place of Publication: Publisher/Department.
Reference List Entry
Department for Education (2023)
GCSE and A Level Results: Summer 2023. London: Department for Education.
In-Text Citation
(Department for Education 2023)
Corporate or Organisational Report
Reference List Entry
McKinsey Global Institute (2023)
The State of AI in 2023: Generative AI's Breakout Year. New York: McKinsey & Company.
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Common Harvard Referencing Mistakes to Avoid
These are the mistakes that cost students marks most often. Each one is easy to avoid once you know to look for it.
- Missing accessed date for websites. Every website citation must include the date you accessed the page in the format (Accessed: Day Month Year). Without it, the reference is incomplete.
- Using 'p.' for page ranges. A single page uses p. (e.g., p. 45). A range of pages uses pp. (e.g., pp. 45–47). Using p. for a range is incorrect.
- Not italicising correctly. In the reference list, book titles and journal names should be italicised. Article titles should NOT be italicised — they go in single quotation marks.
- Including DOIs inconsistently. If a journal article has a DOI, you must include it. Do not omit it and use a URL instead — the DOI is the preferred identifier.
- Putting journal articles in reference list format for books. Journal article entries do not include the publisher city. Book entries do. Mixing these up is a very common error.
- Referencing the same source twice with different formats. If you cite the same source multiple times in your text, the reference list entry must be identical each time. Do not create two slightly different versions of the same reference.
- Capitalisation errors. In Harvard referencing, only the first word of an article title is capitalised (sentence case), but major words in book titles may be capitalised (title case) depending on the institutional style. Check your guide.
- Bibliography vs reference list confusion. A reference list contains only sources cited in your text. A bibliography may include sources you read but did not cite. Check whether your assignment requires one or the other — they are not interchangeable.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Harvard referencing? ▾
Harvard referencing is an author-date citation system widely used in UK, Australian, and many international universities. It uses in-text citations in the format (Author Year) combined with a full reference list at the end of the document. Unlike footnote-based systems, Harvard keeps citations within the text itself, making the source immediately visible to the reader.
How do I cite a book in Harvard referencing? ▾
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s) (Year) Title of Book in Italics. Edition (if not first). Place of Publication: Publisher. Example: Porter, M.E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. New York: Free Press. In-text: (Porter 1980) or (Porter 1980, p. 45).
How do I cite a journal article in Harvard referencing? ▾
Format: Author Surname, Initial(s) (Year) 'Title of article in single quotes', Journal Name in Italics, Volume(Issue), pp. Page range. Example: Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1979) 'Prospect theory', Econometrica, 47(2), pp. 263–291. In-text: (Kahneman and Tversky 1979).
How do I cite a website in Harvard referencing? ▾
Format: Author/Organisation (Year) Title of Webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year). Example: NHS (2023) Diabetes overview. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/ (Accessed: 14 March 2024). If there is no date, write (no date) in place of the year.
What is the difference between an in-text citation and a reference list entry? ▾
An in-text citation is the short reference placed within your essay text — for example (Smith 2020, p. 45). The reference list is the complete, formatted entry at the end of your document with all source details. Every in-text citation must have a corresponding reference list entry, and vice versa.
How do I cite a source with multiple authors in Harvard? ▾
For two authors: (Johnson and Williams 2019). In the reference list, include both authors' surnames and initials. For three or more authors, use et al. in the in-text citation: (Brown et al. 2021). In the reference list, list all authors (up to the maximum set by your institution's guide).
What are the most common Harvard referencing mistakes? ▾
The most common mistakes are: missing the accessed date for websites, using 'p.' for page ranges instead of 'pp.', not italicising the book title or journal name correctly, including publisher city for journal articles (not required), listing sources in the reference list without a matching in-text citation, and inconsistent capitalisation of article titles.
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