Harvard referencing is an author-date referencing system. When you use information, ideas or words from another source, you add a short citation in your work and give the full details of the source in your reference list.
The basic pattern is simple: author + year in your writing, followed by a full reference at the end. Page numbers are also included when you quote directly or refer to a specific part of a source.
Harvard referencing: the two parts
In-text citation
A short reference placed in your writing wherever you quote, paraphrase, summarise or otherwise draw on a source.
Full reference
The complete publication details, normally listed alphabetically by author at the end of your work.
How to write Harvard in-text citations
An in-text citation normally contains the author’s surname and the year of publication. You can put the whole citation in brackets, or include the author’s name naturally in your sentence.
Good referencing helps readers identify the sources used in academic work (Pears and Shields, 2025).
Pears and Shields (2025) provide guidance on citing and referencing different types of source.
Quoting or referring to a specific part of a source
Add a page number when you quote directly. You should also include a page number when you paraphrase an idea from a specific page or section of a paginated source.
(Taylor, 2026, p. 42)
(Taylor, 2026, pp. 42–44)
If you are summarising the overall argument or findings of a whole source rather than pointing to a particular passage, the author and year will normally be enough.
How many authors should you include?
For four or more authors, use the first author’s surname followed by et al. in your in-text citation. In the full reference, Cite Them Right permits either listing all authors or using the first author followed by et al.; check whether your course specifies a preference.
Citing several sources together
If several sources support the same statement, separate them with semicolons:
(Grover, 2022; Clark, 2024; Ahmed, 2026)
Reference list or bibliography?
Reference list
Contains the full details of the sources you have actually cited in your work.
Bibliography
May also include relevant material you consulted but did not directly cite.
Unless your course tells you otherwise, your Harvard reference list should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author, or by the organisation or title where there is no named individual author.
Citing books in Harvard
Author surname, INITIAL(S). (Year) Title of book. Edition if not the first. Publisher.
Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2025) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. 13th edn. Bloomsbury Academic.
(Pears and Shields, 2025)
(Pears and Shields, 2025, p. 42)
Citing a chapter in an edited book
Use this format when individual chapters have their own authors and the whole book is brought together by one or more editors.
Chapter author surname, INITIAL(S). (Year) ‘Title of chapter’, in Editor INITIAL(S). Surname (ed.) Title of book. Edition. Publisher, pp. xx–xx.
Sturgis, P. (2020) ‘Surveys and sampling’, in G.M. Breakwell, D.B. Wright and J. Barnett (eds.) Research methods in psychology. 5th edn. Sage, pp. 373–394.
(Sturgis, 2020)
Citing journal articles in Harvard
A journal reference includes the title of the article and the title of the journal. The article title goes in quotation marks; the journal title is italicised.
Author surname, INITIAL(S). (Year) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume(issue), pp. xx–xx.
Bolenz, S. and Glode, L. (2021) ‘Technological and nutritional aspects of milk chocolate enriched with grape pomace products’, European Food Research & Technology, 247(3), pp. 623–636.
Journal articles with a DOI
If an online article has a DOI, give it as a DOI link at the end of the reference. You do not need an access date when using a DOI.
Griffith, L. and Board, M. (2018) ‘Influences on clinical decision-making during a community placement: reflections of a student nurse’, British Journal of Community Nursing, 23(12), pp. 606–609. Available at: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2018.23.12.606.
Journal articles with a URL but no DOI
If there is no DOI and you need to give a URL, include the URL and the date you accessed the article:
Author surname, INITIAL(S). (Year) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume(issue), pp. xx–xx. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Citing newspaper articles in Harvard
Newspaper articles are referenced differently from journal articles because the date of publication is important.
Author surname, INITIAL(S). (Year) ‘Title of article’, Title of Newspaper, Day Month, p. x.
Mansell, W. and Bloom, A. (2012) ‘£10,000 carrot to tempt physics experts’, The Guardian, 20 June, p. 5.
Author surname, INITIAL(S). (Year) ‘Title of article’, Title of Newspaper, Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
(Mansell and Bloom, 2012)
Citing websites and web pages in Harvard
For a web page, use the named author where there is one. If the page has no individual author but has clearly been published by an organisation, use the organisation as the author.
Author or organisation (Year published or last updated) Title of web page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example University (2026) Guide to academic writing. Available at: https://www.example.ac.uk/academic-writing/ (Accessed: 23 September 2026).
No individual author?
Use the organisation responsible for the page if it is clearly identified.
No date?
If you cannot identify a publication or update date, use no date.
If neither an individual nor an organisation can reasonably be identified as the author, begin the reference with the title of the page instead.
Citing X, Instagram, TikTok and other social media posts
If a particular social media post is relevant to your academic work, cite the creator or account responsible for the post, the year and the post itself.
Author or account name (Year) ‘Title or description of post’ [Platform] Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Study Skills Team (2026) ‘Five quick tips for checking your references before submission’ [X] 12 March. Available at: https://x.com/[account]/status/[post-id] (Accessed: 15 March 2026).
(Study Skills Team, 2026)
If the creator’s real name is not available, use the account or screen name. Use the name of the platform you actually used, such as [X], [Instagram], [TikTok] or [Facebook].
Citing generative AI in Harvard
Current Cite Them Right guidance distinguishes between AI-generated material that other people can access and output that is private to you.
AI output that is only available to you
If the generated output cannot be accessed by your reader, it is treated as a form of personal communication.
OpenAI ChatGPT (2026) ChatGPT response to [student name], 23 September.
Publicly available AI-generated content
If you are citing AI-generated material that has been published and is publicly accessible, include the creator or AI name, year, title or description, type of material, URL and access date.
Creator/name of AI (Year) Title or description [Medium]. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
If content produced from your own prompt is available to your reader through a shareable link or repository, reference the particular type of output according to the relevant Cite Them Right guidance.
If you used AI only to help with tasks such as brainstorming, planning or language support, your institution may require an acknowledgement or declaration rather than a conventional reference. Follow the rules supplied with your assessment.
Common Harvard referencing questions
What if two works have the same author and year?
Add lower-case letters to the year and use the same letters in both your citations and reference list:
What if I only found the original source quoted in another book?
Where possible, find and read the original source. If you cannot, make it clear that you are using a secondary reference.
Smith (2003, cited in Allan, 2020) argues that…
Smith (2003, quoted in Allan, 2020, p. 34) states that…
Only Allan (2020) would go in your reference list because that is the source you actually read.
How do I reference a PDF?
A PDF is a file format, not usually a type of source. Work out what the document actually is and reference that. For example, a PDF might be a journal article, report, government publication, book chapter or conference paper.
Do I need to cite a paraphrase?
Yes. Changing somebody else’s wording does not make the idea your own. A paraphrase still needs an in-text citation, and a paraphrase of a specific passage should include the relevant page number where one is available.
Do I need to cite common knowledge?
Generally, no. Widely accepted facts that your intended reader would reasonably be expected to know do not normally need a reference. When in doubt, particularly for a specific statistic, interpretation or claim, cite the source.
Formatting your Harvard references
- Arrange your reference list alphabetically by author surname, organisation or title.
- Use the author’s surname followed by initials in the reference list.
- Put the year of publication in round brackets.
- Use sentence case for book, chapter, article and web-page titles, apart from proper nouns.
- Use italics for titles where shown in the formats above, such as book and journal titles.
- Use single quotation marks around journal article, book chapter and newspaper article titles.
- Give an edition for a book when it is not the first edition.
- Use p. for one page and pp. for a range of pages.
- Use a DOI in the form https://doi.org/… where one is available.
- Be consistent throughout your reference list.
Quick Harvard referencing checklist
- I have cited quotations, paraphrases, summaries and ideas taken from other sources.
- I have included page numbers for direct quotations and specific passages where page numbers exist.
- Every in-text citation has a matching full reference.
- My reference list is in alphabetical order.
- Book, article, journal and web-page titles are formatted correctly.
- I have included DOIs or URLs where required.
- I have included access dates for online sources where required.
- I have used one referencing format consistently.
Accurate referencing makes it clear which ideas and words come from other people, allows your reader to find your sources, and helps you avoid accidental plagiarism.