Harvard Citation Generator

Harvard referencing is the most widely used author–date style in UK, Australian and many international universities, and it appears across business, law, nursing and engineering assignments. This generator produces clean Harvard references and in-text citations from the details you enter.

Because "Harvard" has no single official manual, this generator follows the common author–date convention used by most university guides, and it never invents information you have not provided.

How to use it

  1. Choose the source type.
  2. Fill in the details — author, year, title, publisher or DOI.
  3. Generate and copy the reference or the in-text citation.
  4. Check your university's own Harvard guide, since formatting details vary slightly between institutions.

What is Harvard referencing?

Harvard is an author–date style: in-text citations are (Author, Year) and the reference list is ordered alphabetically by author. It is not tied to a single manual, so institutions publish their own Harvard guides — the common core, however, is consistent: author, year, title, publisher or source, and page numbers where relevant.

Harvard website citation example

Author, A. (Year) Title of the page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Many university guides ask for the "Available at" and "Accessed" elements for online sources. If the author is an organisation, use the organisation name in the author position.

Harvard book citation example

Author, A. (Year) Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

For a chapter, cite the chapter author and title, then the editors and book title: Author, A. (Year) 'Chapter title', in Editor, B. (ed.) Book title. Place: Publisher, pp. 45–67.

Harvard journal citation example

Author, A. and Author, B. (Year) 'Title of the article', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. 45–67.

Journal titles may be in italics depending on the university guide. Page numbers and the volume/issue are always required for journal articles.

Harvard in-text citations

For paraphrasing: (Author, Year). For a direct quote, add the page number: (Author, Year, p. 45).

Two authors are cited as (Smith and Jones, 2021). Three or more are usually shortened to (Smith et al., 2021), though some guides list all authors — check yours.

Frequently asked questions

What is Harvard referencing?

Harvard is an author–date referencing style used widely in the UK and internationally. In-text citations are (Author, Year) and the reference list is alphabetical by author.

How do I cite a website in Harvard?

Use: Author (Year) Title of the page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year). Most guides require the access date for online sources.

How do I cite a book in Harvard?

Use: Author (Year) Title of the book. Edition. Place: Publisher. For a chapter, add the chapter title in quotation marks and the editor names.

Why do Harvard formats vary between universities?

Because Harvard has no single official manual — each university publishes its own guide. The core author–date structure is the same, but details like italics and the place of publication differ.

Is this Harvard generator free?

Yes — it is free, runs in your browser, and follows the common Harvard conventions used by most university guides.

Related tools

Assignment help by subject

More from Assignment Byte