Harvard Referencing Guide
A comprehensive guide to the Harvard citation style for academic writing
Author-Date System • Alphabetical Reference List • Updated 2024
Harvard Referencing Overview
There are two types of citation in Harvard referencing: in-text citations, which are found in the main body of the work and contain a fraction of the full bibliographical information, and reference lists, which are located at the end of the main work and list full information for all sources mentioned within the work.
While there are some stylistic and institutional variations, Harvard usually follows the format specified in this guide.
Key things to remember
In a reference list, sources are listed alphabetically by author's surname. Where there are multiple citations by the same author, these are listed chronologically by year of publication.
In-Text Citations
You can cite a source directly (quoting verbatim) or indirectly (citing ideas without quoting).
Direct: "Chocolate has an infinite variety of uses" (Davis, 2022, p. 8).
Indirect: As Davis (2022) notes, chocolate can be used in many different ways.
When quoting directly from a source, page numbers should be used. If quoting indirectly, page numbers are not required. Where a page number is not available, paragraph number can be used. If this is not an option, the abbreviations 'n.p' or 'n. pag.' can be used to show that no page number is available.
1. Books
Books with one author
Last name, first initial. (Year). Title. Edition (if not first). City: Publisher.
Davis, B. (2022). A History of Chocolate. London: Delectable Publications.
Davis, B. (2022). A History of Chocolate. 3rd ed. London: Delectable Publications.
Books with two or three authors
Last name, first initial., Last name, first initial., and Last name, first initial. (Year). Title. City: Publisher.
Jones, F. and Hughes, S. (2023). Eating Out: A Definitive Restaurant Handbook. London: Delectable Publications.
Evans, D., McDonald, F. and Jackson, T. (2024). Getting the Best Service. London: Delectable Publications.
Books with four or more authors
If a book has four or more authors, only the first author's name should be listed in-text followed by 'et al.'. However, all authors should be listed in the reference list in the order they are credited in the original work.
Last name, first initial., Last name, first initial., Last name, first initial., and Last name, first initial. (Year). Title. City: Publisher.
James, P., Croft, D., Levin, S. and Doe, A. (2023). How to Succeed in the Restaurant Industry. London: Delectable Publications.
Chapter in an edited book
When citing a single chapter in a larger book, add the page range (pp.) that the chapter spans. Include the edition of the book.
Last name, first initial. (Year). Chapter title. In: Editor's name/s (ed/s) Book Title. Edition. City: Publisher. Page/s.
King, S. (2022). The best wines and where to find them. In: Loftus, E., ed., Fine Wine: A Guide, 1st ed. London: Delectable Publications, pp. 28-46.
Multiple books by the same author
List chronologically by year. For works published in the same year, label with 'a', 'b', 'c' after the year.
Brown, G. (2021). Mexican Food. London: Delectable Publications.
Brown, G. (2022). Japanese Food. London: Delectable Publications.
Brown, G. (2023a). Chinese Food. London: Delectable Publications.
Brown, G. (2023b). Italian Food. London: Delectable Publications.
2. Articles
Print journals
Last name, First initial. (Year). Article Title. Journal name, Volume(Issue), Page/s.
Jenkins, O. (2023). Unusual Recipes and Cantonese Cuisine. Culinary Research, 5(8), pp. 47-59.
Journal articles accessed online
Last name, First initial. (Year). Article Title. Journal name, Volume(Issue), Page/s. Available at: URL [Accessed: date].
Jenkins, O. (2023). Unusual Recipes and Cantonese Cuisine. Culinary Research, 5(8), pp. 47-59. Available at: www.culinaryresearchjournal.com/jenkinsocanteonese [Accessed: 15 March 2024].
Newspaper articles
Bell, Y. (2023). Man with unusual tastes eats chalk for breakfast. The Weekly Herald, p. 4.
Lees, P. (2024). Freaky eaters. The Weekly Herald, p.21. Available at: www.theweeklyheraldonline.com/freakyeaters2024 [Accessed 21 February 2024].
Magazine articles
Ilkes, J. (2023). Five Ways to Eat More Fruit and Vegetables. Healthy Lifestyles, (12), pp. 34-36.
Ilkes, J. (2024, January 15). Why Dried Fruit is a Diet Staple. Healthy Lifestyles. Available at: www.healthylifestylesmag.com/driedfruitilkes2024 [Accessed 15 March 2024].
3. Online Sources
Websites
Author/Source (Year). Title of web document/page. [online]. Available at: URL [Accessed date].
HealthTips (2024). Superfoods and where to find them. [online]. Available at: www.healthtipsarticles.com/superfoods [Accessed 20 March 2024].
Emails
Sender's last name, First initial. (Year). Subject Line of Email. [email].
James, D. (2024). New business plan for McDowells. [email].
Social media
Last name, First initial. (Year). Title of page [Social media format]. Available at: URL [Accessed date].
Proud, F. (2024). Food lovers group [Facebook]. Available at: www.facebook.com/foodloversgroup [Accessed 25 March 2024].
4. Images & Visual Mediums
Films / DVDs
Full Title of Film. (Year). [Medium]. Director. Country: Studio.
The World's Best Curries. (2023). [Film]. Directed by J. Hertz. UK: Foodie Studios.
YouTube videos
Username. (Year). Video Title. [type of medium]. Available at: URL [Accessed date].
Yummydishes. (2023). Egg custard – simple recipe!. [YouTube video]. Available at: www.youtube.com/yummydisheseggcustard [Accessed 13 March 2024].
Broadcasts
Series title: Episode name/number. (Year). [Broadcast]. Channel, date and time.
World Kitchen: Nigeria, episode 5. (2023). [Broadcast]. BBC 1, first transmitted 30 July 2023, 20:00.
Images / photographs
Hewer, D. (2022). Women enjoying a cup of tea. [Photograph]. London: Food Photography Library.
Podcasts
Broadcaster/author. (Year). Programme title. [Podcast]. Available at: URL [Accessed date].
Yummydishes. (2023). Innovative Baking, Innovative Food. [Podcast]. Available at: www.foodiepodcasts.com/yummydishesinnovativebaking [Accessed 17 March 2024].
5. Other Source Types
Reports
Organisation/author. (Year). Full title of report. Place: Publisher.
Marks and Spencers. (2023). A report on the sales of '2 Dine for £10'. London: M&S Publications.
Dissertations
Last name, first initial. (Year). Title of dissertation. Level. University.
Neath, G. (2023). An examination of Mexican food in popular culture. Master's thesis. Oxford Brookes University.
Acts of Parliament
Short title (Year) chapter number. Place: Publisher.
Food Act 2022 (c. 5). London: Government Publications.
Government publications
Government agency. (Year). Title of document. City: Publisher.
UK Government. (2024). Nutrition and Young People. London: Government Publications.
Presentations / lectures
Last name, first initial. (Year). Presentation/lecture title.
Yates, R. (2023). The benefits of herbs.
Music recordings
Performer/writer's last name, first initial. (Year). Recording title. [Medium]. City: Music label.
Luce, F. (2022). Delicious. [CD Recording]. London: Delectable Music.
Dictionaries
Publisher. (Year). Full title of dictionary. Place: Publisher.
Wordy. (2023). Wordy's modern dictionary. London: Delectable Publications.
Key Things to Remember
Important Harvard Rules
• Alphabetical Order: Reference list is sorted alphabetically by author's surname
• Chronological Order: Multiple works by same author are listed chronologically by year
• Page Numbers: Required for direct quotes; use 'p.' for single page, 'pp.' for multiple pages
• et al.: Use for in-text citations with four or more authors
• Italicize Titles: Book and journal titles are italicized
• No Author: Use the title in place of author, alphabetized by first significant word
Quick Checklist
✓ All in-text citations include author and year
✓ Direct quotes include page numbers
✓ Reference list is alphabetical by author surname
✓ Consistent formatting throughout
✓ URLs and access dates for online sources
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