Harvard referencing generator
Author and year in brackets in your text, a full alphabetical reference list at the end. Harvard has no single official manual; this generator follows Cite Them Right, the version taught at most UK universities.
Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow. London: Allen Lane.
(Kahneman, 2011)Anatomy of a Harvard reference
Pick an example, then tap any part of the reference to see the rule behind it.
. : .
Choose an element above.
Harvard rules at a glance
| Order of the list | Alphabetical by first author’s surname; same author → oldest first, then 2021a, 2021b. |
|---|---|
| In-text | (Surname, year) or Surname (year) — add p. for quotations: (Kahneman, 2011, p. 20). |
| Authors | Surname, Initials. — “and” between the last two; 4+ → “et al.” |
| Year | In round brackets after the author. |
| Titles | Books italic; articles and chapters in ‘single quotes’. |
| Journal details | Journal, volume(issue), pp. 12–20. |
| Online | Available at: URL (Accessed: 20 September 2026). |
| Editions | 2nd edn., 3rd edn. — never for a first edition. |
Harvard in-text citations
- One author: (Kahneman, 2011) or “Kahneman (2011) argues…”.
- Two or three authors: (Watson and Crick, 1953); (Atkins, de Paula and Keeler, 2018).
- Four or more: (Novoselov et al., 2004).
- Direct quotations need a page: (Kahneman, 2011, p. 20). Organisations can be authors: (World Health Organization, 2023).
Ask about Harvard
Answers are AI-generated from the published style rules and can be wrong. Check your journal’s or school’s author guidelines for house variations.
Harvard examples
Real works, formatted by the generator above.
Book
Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow. London: Allen Lane.
Journal article
Watson, J.D. and Crick, F.H.C. (1953) ‘Molecular structure of nucleic acids: A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid’, Nature, 171(4356), pp. 737–738. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.
Edition of a book
Atkins, P., de Paula, J. and Keeler, J. (2018) Atkins' Physical Chemistry. 11th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Web page
World Health Organization (2023) Hypertension. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension (Accessed: 20 September 2026).
Report / standard
IEEE Computer Society (2019) IEEE Standard for Floating-Point Arithmetic. IEEE Std 754-2019. Piscataway, NJ, USA: IEEE. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEESTD.2019.8766229.
Thesis
Shannon, C.E. (1940) A symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits. MSc thesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Source types supported here: Journal article, Book, Book chapter, Conference paper, Web page, Report / standard, Thesis.
Harvard citation questions
Is Harvard the same everywhere?
No. Harvard is a family of author-date styles. Punctuation differs between universities (for example “edn.” vs “ed.”, or whether the year has brackets). Cite Them Right is the most common UK version and is what this generator produces; always check your module handbook.
How do I reference a website in Harvard?
Author or organisation (year) Title of page. Available at: URL (Accessed: date). If there is no author, start with the organisation name; if there is no date, write (no date).
When do I use “et al.” in Harvard?
Cite Them Right uses “et al.” for four or more authors, both in the text and in the reference list — although some universities ask you to list every author in the reference list.
Do I need page numbers?
For direct quotations and when you refer to a specific figure or passage, yes: (Kahneman, 2011, p. 20). For a general reference to a whole work they are optional.
What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?
A reference list includes only works you cited. A bibliography also includes background reading. Many UK courses ask only for a reference list.