Contents
What Is Harvard Referencing?
Harvard referencing is an author–date citation system widely used across UK and Australian universities. It places the author's surname and publication year in parentheses within the text, and a full reference in a list — usually headed "References" or "Reference List" — at the end of the paper.
Despite its name, Harvard style was not invented at Harvard University and is not governed by a single official manual — unlike APA, MLA, or Chicago, which have authoritative publishers. This has important practical implications for students.
There Is No Single Harvard Standard
This is the most important thing to understand. Different UK universities, departments, and even individual modules may use slightly different Harvard variants. Common institutional variants include:
Cite Them Right (Pears & Shields)
The most widely adopted Harvard guide in UK HE. Published by Bloomsbury. Considered the default at many Russell Group institutions.
Anglia Ruskin University Harvard
One of the earliest freely published Harvard guides online; widely used as a template by other institutions.
Leeds Harvard
University of Leeds variant, commonly referenced in their library guides. Slight punctuation differences from Cite Them Right.
APA 7th (often mistaken for Harvard)
APA is an author-date system like Harvard but is a distinct, formally standardised style. Some institutions use APA and call it "Harvard-style."
Before following any Harvard examples — including those on this page — download your university's own referencing guide or check your module handbook. Minor punctuation differences (brackets vs. parentheses, comma placement, use of "p." vs. ":") can affect your grade if your institution is strict.
In-Text Citations
The principles below follow the Cite Them Right convention, which is the dominant UK standard.
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Paraphrase | (Author, Year) | (Giddens, 2006) |
| Direct quotation | (Author, Year, p. X) | (Giddens, 2006, p. 72) |
| Narrative citation | Author (Year) | Giddens (2006) argues… |
| Two authors | (Author and Author, Year) | (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, 2002) |
| Three or more authors | (First et al., Year) | (Bauman et al., 2014) |
| No date | (Author, no date) | (NHS, no date) |
| Same author, same year | (Author, Yeara) | (Giddens, 2006a) |
When you have not read the original source but want to reference it via a secondary source, use: (Original Author, Year, cited in Secondary Author, Year). This is discouraged — always try to locate and read the original.
Reference List Rules
- Title the list References (or "Reference List").
- All sources cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa — no orphaned citations.
- Entries are ordered alphabetically by author surname.
- Use a hanging indent.
- Book titles are italicised; article titles are not.
- Journal titles are italicised.
- The year appears in parentheses after the author(s).
Books
Journal Articles
Chapters in Edited Books
Websites and Online Sources
Reports and Grey Literature
Common Harvard Errors
| Error | Correct approach |
|---|---|
| Using first name instead of initial | Giddens, A. — not Giddens, Anthony |
| No "p." before page numbers in text | (Giddens, 2006, p. 72) — include "p." |
| Italicising article titles | Article titles in single quotes; journal name italicised |
| Listing sources in order of citation | Reference list must be alphabetical by author surname |
| Omitting edition number | Include edition if not the first: 3rd edn. |
| Forgetting "(Accessed: date)" for websites | Required after URL for online sources in most Harvard variants |