Harvard Referencing Style Guide (Simple)

Harvard Referencing Style Guide

Harvard referencing style is the most widely used referencing style in UK universities and provides a clear method for acknowledging sources of information. Mastering this style ensures that your work is properly cited, gives credit to original authors and avoids accidental plagiarism.

This guide will walk you through the essential steps you need to write references using the Harvard style.

1. Understand the Basics

Harvard referencing uses the author-date system, where in-text citations include the author’s surname and the year of publication, and also a page number for direct quotes e.g., (Smith, 2020, p.45).
Full details of the source are then listed in a reference list at the end of your document.

2. Essential Information

To create a Harvard reference, you will need the following details about your source:

Books: Author(s), year, title, edition (if not the first), publisher, and place of publication.
Journal Articles: Author(s), year, title of the article, journal name, volume, issue, page numbers, and DOI or URL (if online).
Websites: Author or organization, year of publication or update, title, URL, and access date.
Other Sources: For images, videos, reports, or conference papers, include relevant details such as creator, date, title, publisher, and additional identifiers.

Tip: It is a good idea to have a file for storing this information as you conduct your research – too often, students tell us they have forgotten the page number etc.

3. In-Text Citations for Harvard Referencing Style

For in-text citations, you need to include the author’s surname and publication year. For direct quotes, you also need to add the page number.
Examples:

Paraphrasing: Smith (2020) argues that…
If there are two or three authors, list all surnames e.g., Smith and Brown (2020) or Smith, Brown and Gray (2020).

For four or more authors, use the first author followed by et al. e.g., Smith et al. (2020).

Direct Quote: “Learning is essential” (Smith, 2020, p. 45).
If there are two or three authors, list all surnames e.g., (Smith and Brown, 2020, p. 45) or (Smith, Brown and Gray, 2020, p. 45).

For four or more authors, you just use the first author’s surname followed by et al. e.g., (Smith et al., 2020, p. 45).

4. Reference List for Harvard Referencing Style

The reference list appears at the end of the document. For Harvard referencing style, you need to arrange the references alphabetically by author surname.

Note: you need to list all authors, regardless of how many there are, for each publication.

Books:

Format: Author(s), Initial(s). (Year) Title of the Book. Edition. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Example: Brown, J. (2018) Introduction to Psychology. 3rd edn. London: Routledge.

Journal Articles:

Format: Author(s), Initial(s). (Year) ‘Article Title’, Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page numbers. DOI/URL.
Example: Smith, A. and Jones, B. (2020) ‘The Role of Technology in Learning’, Education Journal, 25(3), pp. 123-135. https://doi.org/10.xxxx.

Websites:

Format: Author(s)/Organisation. (Year) Title of Page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date).
Example: World Health Organization (2021) Global Health Reports. Available at: https://www.who.int (Accessed: 10 November 2024).

Other Sources:

Adjust details based on the source type. For instance:

Image: Photographer/Artist, Initial(s). (Year) Title. Medium. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date).
Conference Paper: Author(s), Initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of Paper’, in Conference Name, Location, Date. Publisher, pp. xx-xx.

How to Alphabetise your Reference List:

Once you are finished, select/highlight all of your references and Click the A-Z button in the paragraph menu at the top of the Word document:

5. Additional Formatting for Harvard Referencing

Use italics for book and journal titles.
Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in titles.
Align the reference list with hanging indents (see: How to Create a Hanging Indent).

6. Double-Check Accuracy

You should ensure all citations in the text appear in the reference list (see: How to Cross Check References) and vice versa. Verify spelling, dates, and recheck your formatting for consistency.

By following these instructions, you can confidently write and organise references in the Harvard style, enhancing the professionalism and credibility of your work, all the while keeping your supervisor happy.