Harvard Referencing Guide: In-Text Citations and Reference List Examples
A clear guide to Harvard referencing in the Cite Them Right style used by most UK universities, with examples for books, journal articles, websites, and reports.
Key Academic Takeaways:
- Harvard is an author-date system: (Surname, Year) in the text and a full alphabetical reference list at the end.
- Add a page number for direct quotations: (Surname, Year, p. 45).
- For four or more authors, cite the first author followed by et al. in the text.
- Always check your own university's Harvard guide, because there is no single official version.
What is Harvard referencing?
Harvard is an author-date referencing style. You place a short citation in the text and give full details in a reference list at the end, ordered alphabetically by author surname. There is no single official Harvard standard, so most UK universities follow the Cite Them Right version. Always confirm against your own department's guide.
In-text citations
- One author: Critical reading improves analytical writing (Cottrell, 2019).
- Author named in the sentence: Cottrell (2019) argues that critical reading improves analytical writing.
- Two or three authors: (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2023).
- Four or more authors: (Bryman et al., 2021).
- Direct quotation: add the page number, for example (Cottrell, 2019, p. 45).
- No author: use the organisation, for example (NHS England, 2024).
Reference list examples
Book
Surname, Initial. (Year) Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
Journal article
Surname, Initial. (Year) 'Title of article', Title of Journal, volume(issue), page range. Available at: DOI or URL.
Teece, D.J. (2018) 'Business models and dynamic capabilities', Long Range Planning, 51(1), pp. 40-49. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.06.007.
Website
Author or organisation (Year) Title of page. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).
NHS England (2024) Sepsis. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/sepsis/ (Accessed: 12 March 2026).
Chapter in an edited book
Chapter author (Year) 'Title of chapter', in Editor (ed.) Title of book. Place: Publisher, page range.
Common Harvard referencing mistakes
- Listing sources in the reference list that are never cited in the text, or the reverse.
- Missing page numbers for direct quotations.
- Inconsistent punctuation and italics between entries.
- Using a web address alone with no author, year, or access date.
- Citing a source you have not read; use secondary referencing instead: (Porter, 1985, cited in Johnson, 2020).
Reference list or bibliography?
A reference list contains only the sources you cited. A bibliography also includes background reading you did not cite. Most UK assignments ask for a reference list.
Short on time? Try our free referencing generator or ask our editors to format your citations through the referencing and formatting service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you reference a website in Harvard style?
Give the author or organisation, the year in brackets, the page title in italics, then 'Available at:' followed by the URL and the date you accessed it in brackets. For example: NHS England (2024) Sepsis. Available at: URL (Accessed: 12 March 2026).
When do you use et al. in Harvard referencing?
In the Cite Them Right version of Harvard, use et al. in the in-text citation when a source has four or more authors. Check your university guide, as some institutions apply it from three authors.
Does the reference list count towards the word count?
At most UK universities the reference list is excluded from the word count, while in-text citations are included. Your module handbook will confirm the rule for your course.
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