In academic writing, it is important to cite your sources so that the reader knows the context of your written work and can verify it accordingly. There are many different referencing styles present, including Harvard, MLA, APA, etc. The citation style you use depends on factors such as the requirements of your institution and subject.
In the UK, the most commonly used referencing style is the Harvard referencing style, where you cite the author and the year in-text and provide full details later in the referencing list.
In this comprehensive blog, we have provided a complete Harvard referencing guide that can help beginners master the craft of citations.
Before learning how to cite using the Harvard referencing style, let’s first dive into what Harvard referencing is.
Harvard referencing style is a system for acknowledging the sources of information used in academic writing. It is also known as the author-date referencing style, as it requires the author's name and the publication date to be included in the citation. This referencing style is widely used in academic writing, particularly in social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.
The Harvard referencing style has a set of guidelines for formatting in-text citations, reference lists, Harvard referencing videos, and bibliographies. The Harvard referencing style aims to provide readers with accurate and complete information about the sources cited in a text, enabling them to locate and verify the information.
The Harvard in-text citations come beside the source, in brackets or parenthesis. It contains the author’s last name, the publication year, and the page number. The standard Harvard in-text citation example is:
(Kelly, 2023, p.4)
When citing a reference from a single page, you use ‘p.’ However, you will use ‘pp.' when the source is from multiple pages.
(Kelly, 2023, pp. 4-7)
Harvard in-text citations usually come right after the phrase or the end of the sentence. A few variations of Harvard in-text citations are discussed below.
For a source written by a single author, the in-text citation should include the author's surname and the year of publication, separated by a comma.
For example:
According to (John, 2023), climate change is a major environmental threat.
For a source written by two authors, both surnames should be included in the in-text citation, separated by an ampersand (&).
For example:
Recent studies (John & Terry, 2015) have shown that exercise can improve mental health.
For a source written by three or more authors, only the first author's surname should be included in the in-text citation, followed by "et al." (meaning "and others").
For example:
The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function have been well documented (Mary et al., 2020).
If you cite multiple sources in the same sentence, list them alphabetically by author's surname, separated by semicolons. For example:
For example:
Several studies have suggested that meditation can reduce stress (Kelly, 2023; John & Terry, 2015; Mary et al., 2018).
If a source has no author, use the work's title in the in-text citation, followed by the year of publication.
For example:
(‘Harvard referencing style,’ 2020)
For electronic sources, such as websites or online articles, include the author's surname, the year of publication, and the specific page number or section, if available. Use the paragraph number instead if no page number or section is available.
For example:
According to a recent study (Jenna, 2019, para. 4), social media use can lead to increased feelings of loneliness.
If you are citing a source that you found within another source (a secondary source), including the original author's surname and the year of publication, followed by "as cited in" and the surname of the author of the secondary source, and the year of the secondary source.
For example:
According to Kelly (2010, as cited in Jenna, 2015), climate change is a major environmental threat.
With EssaysUK you get:
The Harvard reference list comes at the end of your text. You have to list your sources in alphabetical order by the last name of the author. In the reference list, you provide detailed information about your source. Let’s look further into our Harvard referencing guide and learn how to make a Harvard referencing list.
Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a Harvard reference list along with the Harvard referencing examples:
Begin with the last name, followed by a comma, and then the first and middle initials (if available). If there are multiple authors, separate their names with commas. If there are more than three authors, list the first three followed by "et al."
Kapur, L. D.
Kapur, L. D., Maria, A. B., & Steven, C.
Immediately following the author's name(s), include the year of publication in parentheses.
Kapur, L. D. (2018)
Kapur, L. D., Maria, A. B., & Steven, C. (2020)
Capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. Italicize the title.
Kapur, L. D. (2018). The history of the world.
Kapur, L. D., Maria, A. B., & Steven, C. (2020). The role of technology in politics.
After the title, specify the type of work being referenced (e.g., book, journal article, website).
Kapur, L. D. (2018). The history of the world. Book.
Kapur, L. D., Maria, A. B., & Steven, C. (2020). The role of technology in politics. Journal article.
For books, include the city of publication and the publisher's name. In the case of journal articles, include the journal name, volume number, and issue number (if applicable), while for websites, include the website name and URL.
Kapur, L. D. (2018). The history of the world. London, UK: Random House.
Kapur, L. D., Maria, A. B., & Steven, C. (2020). The role of technology in politics. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(4), 1875-1892.
Kapur, L. D. (2018). The history of the world.
Ensure that each entry in your reference list follows the same format and that the information is presented clearly and consistently.
List the sources in alphabetical order by the author's last name. If there is no author, use the first word of the title.
John, A. (2020). The science of politics.
Jones, B. (2019). The art of painting.
Kapur, L. D. The history of the world. (2017).
It is really easy to do Harvard referencing in Word. Just follow these simple steps to create your Harvard referencing list easily.
Here are some tips for proper Harvard referencing that you can follow to achieve better results.
Harvard Referencing is a widely used citation style that provides a standard format for acknowledging sources in academic writing. It helps to credit the original author or researcher, avoids plagiarism and allows readers to locate and verify the sources used in a paper.
Yes, the reference list in Harvard referencing should be arranged alphabetically by the author's surname. This allows readers to locate and verify the sources used in a paper easily. If there are multiple works by the same author, they should be listed in chronological order, with the earliest publication first.
To Harvard reference an image, you need to include the following information in your citation:
To Harvard reference a website with no author, you should start with the webpage's title or article. Then include the date the page was published or last updated, the website's name, and the full URL. If the date is not available, use "n.d." instead. This citation should be listed in the reference list.
Harvard referencing and APA (American Psychological Association) referencing are similar in many ways, but they have some differences in formatting and style. Both styles use in-text citations and reference lists. However, Harvard referencing style usually includes the author's name and publication year in parentheses, while APA uses the author's name and date within the text.