Harvard Referencing Quick Guide

The Harvard referencing style, widely adopted for citations, requires including concise source details within your essay text and compiling a comprehensive reference list. Learning this style is important for researchers, students, and academics, promoting integrity in academic endeavors.

Reference Benefits

Referencing sources is essential as it acknowledges the original creators, prevents plagiarism, and enhances the credibility of your work. It also enables readers to trace information to its origins, serving as a valuable resource for deeper investigation.

Reference List - Printed Journal Articles

At the end of your document, include a detailed reference list in alphabetical order by the author's last name. Here's the formatting for sources from print journal articles:


Author Last Name, Initials Year, 'Title of journal article' (in single quotation marks), Title of Journal (capitalization and italicized), Volume (vol.), Issue or number (no.), Page number(s) - pp.. Example:



Name: John Smith. Year: 2010. Title of journal article: The Art of Harvard Referencing'. Title of journal: Writing and Research


● Smith, J. 2010, ‘The Art of Harvard Referencing', Writing and Research, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 45-56.

Reference List - Online Journal Articles

Author Last Name, Initials Year, 'Title of journal article' (in single quotation marks), Title of Journal (capitalization and italicized), Volume (vol.), Issue or number (no.), Page number(s) - pp., viewed date, . Example:



● Smith, J. 2010, ‘The Art of Harvard Referencing', Writing and Research, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 45-56, 29 March 2024, .

Reference List - Web Page

Authors of page Last Name, Initials (person or organization) Year(page created or revised), Title of page, Publisher, sponsor or host of the webpage, Place of publication of the webpage, viewed date, . Example:



● Smith, J. 2010, The Art of Harvard Referencing, Oxford University Press, London, 29 March 2024, .


If there are no authors provided on the page, start with the title of the page. For example:


● The Art of Harvard Referencing 2010, Oxford University Press, London, 29 March 2024, .


If there is no date provided for a source, the abbreviation "n.d." (which stands for "no date") may be used. For example:


● Smith, J. n.d., The Art of Harvard Referencing, Oxford University Press, London, 29 March 2024, .

Reference List - Videos

Authors of page Last Name, Initials Year, Title (italics), type of medium, Day and Month, Publisher, Place of publication, viewed date, . Example:



● Smith, J. 2010, how to start a business, online video,17 December, YouTube, London, 29 March 2024, .


Or for other media:


● Smith, J. 2010, how to start a business, online video, 17 December, DVD, London, 29 March 2024, .

Reference List - Television Program

Title of television program Year of recording, Format, Day and Month broadcast, Name of broadcaster, Place of broadcast. Example:



● The Medical Hour 2010, television broadcast, 12 September, Public Broadcasting Service, Sydney, Australia.

Additional Information

If any information is unavailable, you have the option to omit it and include the remaining details. Additionally, any special credits or other relevant information can be noted after the citation. While Harvard Referencing may vary slightly from person to person, it generally adheres to the same fundamental principles.