Harvard referencing guide.
Everything you need to know about citing sources in Harvard style, with examples for every source type.
What is Harvard referencing?
Harvard referencing is an author-date citation system widely used in UK universities and academic institutions worldwide. It consists of two components:
- In-text citations — Brief references within your text that identify the source of information
- Reference list — A full alphabetical list of all sources cited, placed at the end of your work
The style we use is based on Cite Them Right (10th edition), the most widely adopted Harvard referencing standard in UK universities.
In-text citations
In-text citations appear within the body of your work. They can be placed at the end of a sentence or integrated into the sentence itself.
Basic format
Recent studies have shown significant changes (Smith, 2023).
Smith (2023) found that recent studies show significant changes.
Multiple authors
| Authors | In-text format |
|---|---|
| 1 author | (Smith, 2023) |
| 2 authors | (Smith and Jones, 2023) |
| 3 authors | (Smith, Jones and Davies, 2023) |
| 4+ authors | (Smith et al., 2023) |
Direct quotes
When quoting directly, include the page number:
'This represents a paradigm shift in the field' (Smith, 2023, p. 45).
How to cite a book
Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of book. Edition (if not 1st). Place of publication: Publisher.
Mitchell, J.A. and Thomson, M. (2017) A guide to citation. 3rd edn. London: London Publishings.
How to cite a website
Author/Organisation (Year) 'Title of web page'. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
NHS (2024) 'Mental health support'. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/ (Accessed: 10 July 2024).
How to cite a journal article
Surname, Initial(s). (Year) 'Title of article', Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), pp. page range. doi: DOI.
Boughton, J.M. (2002) 'The Bretton Woods proposal', Political Science Quarterly, 42(6), pp. 564-578.
How to cite a video
Channel/Creator (Year) Title of video. Platform. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
TED (2020) The next outbreak? We're not ready. YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/example (Accessed: 15 March 2024).
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting to italicise book titles and journal names
- Not including the access date for online sources
- Using "et al." for fewer than 4 authors in the reference list (only use in in-text citations)
- Inconsistent formatting between citations
- Not arranging the reference list alphabetically
- Missing the year of publication in brackets