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Referencing Books in Harvard Style | Templates & Examples

Published on 12 May 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 7 November 2022.

To reference a book in Harvard style , you need an in-text citation and a corresponding entry in your reference list or bibliography .

A basic book reference looks like this:

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Table of contents

Edition or volume of a book, edited or translated book, book chapter, dictionary or encyclopedia, frequently asked questions about harvard referencing.

If the book you’re citing is a second or later edition (i.e. when the edition is stated on the title page or cover), specify this in your reference. Abbreviate ‘edition’ to ‘edn’ or ‘revised edition’ to ‘rev ed’.

When referencing a book published in multiple volumes, include the total number of volumes in your reference.

If you’re just referencing one volume, omit the total number but include the number and subtitle of the particular volume you’re referencing as part of the title.

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If a book specifies an editor and/or translator, this information should be included in the reference.

When a book has an editor in addition to the main author, the editor’s name is included later in the reference.

When the editor is the main author (i.e. when it’s their name on the cover), their name comes first. Use “ed.” for a single editor and “eds.” if there are multiple editors.

If you use a specific chapter or work from an edited collection, follow the format for referencing a book chapter instead.

When you reference a book that has been translated from another language, include the original language and the translator’s name.

Unlike other names, the translator’s name is not inverted: the initial comes first.

If a book contains chapters or works by various different authors, such as a collection of essays or an anthology of short stories, reference the specific chapter or work, followed by details of the book.

The chapter title appears in quotation marks, while the book title is italicized. At the end of the reference, specify the page range on which the chapter appears.

If a book is entirely written by one author, always reference the whole book, even if you only discuss one chapter.

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference works very often don’t list specific authors. In these cases, they are cited and referenced using their titles in the author position:

Where a reference work does have an author, it can be referenced like a normal book. Where different sections of a reference work are attributed to different authors, they can be referenced like chapters in an edited book.

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When an ebook is presented like a printed book, with page numbers and publication details included, you can reference it in the same format as you would the print version.

Otherwise, the ebook format differs slightly: I nclude a link to where you found or purchased it online instead of publisher information. This link is generally just to the store or database you used, not the specific book.

In addition, in-text citations will have to use something other than page numbers when necessary, such as a percentage or location number. Use whatever marker is available on your device.

A Harvard in-text citation should appear in brackets every time you quote, paraphrase, or refer to information from a source.

The citation can appear immediately after the quotation or paraphrase, or at the end of the sentence. If you’re quoting, place the citation outside of the quotation marks but before any other punctuation like a comma or full stop.

In Harvard style , when you quote directly from a source that includes page numbers, your in-text citation must include a page number. For example: (Smith, 2014, p. 33).

You can also include page numbers to point the reader towards a passage that you paraphrased . If you refer to the general ideas or findings of the source as a whole, you don’t need to include a page number.

In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by ‘ et al. ’

In Harvard style referencing , to distinguish between two sources by the same author that were published in the same year, you add a different letter after the year for each source:

• (Smith, 2019a)
• (Smith, 2019b)

Add ‘a’ to the first one you cite, ‘b’ to the second, and so on. Do the same in your bibliography or reference list .

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Harvard Referencing / Harvard Referencing Style Examples / How to reference books in Harvard style 

How to reference books in Harvard style 

Harvard–style referencing is one of the various methods of citation available out there. Citing your sources is important, so that due credit is given to the original creators of any content, and you do not end up indulging in plagiarism.

Books are one of the most widely used sources of information. This article will help you understand how to cite books properly using Harvard style.

In-text citations for books

Books may be referenced in your work either through in-text citation or in the reference list. An in-text citation is when you refer to an original or source material in the body of your text. Every in-text citation has a corresponding reference in a work’s reference list.

Every reference provides additional information about a source that was cited in your work (via an in-text citation). It gives the readers of your work all the information they need in order to find the cited material.

The structure of a reference varies a little, depending on the source type. A reference structure will be given for each type of book below.

In-text citation structure is consistent across all source types. They all are based on the following:

In-text citation structure:

Author (Year published)

(Author, Year published)

In-text citation example:

In her book, Kiran Desai (2006) deals with themes of exile and nation…

Exile is shown to be intrinsically tied to nationality (Desai, 2006)…

Every in-text citation for a book follows the structure above. More information about in-text citations for more than one author is given at the end of this guide.

Printed/Physical book references

Reference structure:.

Author or editor surname, Initial(s). (Year published) Title italicized. edn. Place of publication: Publisher name.

* “edn.” is the edition number, if applicable.

Reference list example:

Desai, K. (2006) The Inheritance of Loss. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.

E-book references

The method for referencing an e-book is the same as that of a printed book, except that additional information about a book’s DOI, URL and date accessed are included, if available.

Author or editor surname, Initial(s). (Year published) Title italicised. Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example reference:

Fetter, F.A. (1904) The principles of economics: With applications to practical problems. Available at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40077/40077-h/40077-h.htm (Accessed: 23 September 2020).

Audiobook references

An audiobook reference gives all of the same information as an e-book reference, but also includes the name of the narrator.

Author or editor surname, Initial(s). (Year published or released) Title italicised. Narrated by narrator surname, Initial(s). (if needed). Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Wilkerson, I. (2020) Caste: The origins of our discontents. Narrated by Miles, R. Available at: https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/caste.aspx (Accessed: 23 September 2020).

References to chapters/sections of edited books

Usually, you only have to cite a particular chapter or section of a book in one of two scenarios:

• The section/chapter author is different from the book’s main author. For example, this is often the case with a book foreword.
• In an anthology or collection where the works of many authors are in a single book. There is also often an editor for these types of works.

If you’re using a book with only one author, you reference the whole book.

Surname of the chapter/section’s author, Initial(s). (Year published) ‘Title of the chapter section’, in Surname of editor, Initial(s). (ed.) Book title italicized. Place of publication: Publisher name, pp. 00-00.

Farmer, V. L. (1996) ‘Mass media: Images, mobilization and communalism’, in Ludden, D.E. (ed.) Contesting the nation: religion, community, and the politics of democracy in India. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 98-115.

Multi-volume works

The method for referencing multi-volume works in the reference list is:

• Name of the author or editor
• Publication year (in round brackets)
• Title (in italics)
• Volumes (in round brackets)
• Place of publication: Publisher

Author or editor surname, Initial(s). (Year published) Book title italicized (no. of vols.). Place of publication: Publisher name.

David, D. et al. (2009) The Longman Anthology of World Literature (6 vols). London: Pearson Education.

Book with two authors

This book (Mostov and Ivekovic, 2006) emphasizes the role of…

Mostov, J. and Ivekovic, R. (2004) From gender to nation. New Delhi: Zubaan.

Book with three authors

In the case of three authors, the first two authors’ last names will appear separated by a comma, with the third author’s name appearing after ‘and’, followed by the publication year separated by a comma. All of these will appear within round brackets in the case of in-text citations.

(Smith, Jones and Davies, 2014)

To include the same example in the reference list, the same format will be followed as in the method for citing two–author texts. This time, the first two authors’ names should be separated by a comma, followed by the last author’s name separated by ‘and’.

Greig, A., Taylor, J. and MacKay, T. (2013) Doing research with children: A practical guide. London: Sage.

Book with four or more authors

If a book has more than three authors, then, for in-text citation where the author’s name occurs in the flow of the text, the last name of the first author is given followed by the term ”et al.”, with only a space in between. This is followed by the year of publication in round brackets.

In cases where the author name is not mentioned in the flow of the text, the in-text citation will consist of the first author’s last name followed by ”et al.” and year of publication, all within round brackets.

In-text citation examples:

Zauner et al. (2018) found that…

Mathematical tools are important (Zauner et al., 2018).

For a reference list citation of a book with more than three authors, you may list the first author followed by ”et al.”, or list the names of all the authors, depending on the requirements of your institution.

Reference list examples:

Zauner, S. et al. (2018) Administrative theory: An innovative approach to organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Zauner, S., Marschall, S., Pieter, V. and Bivalkar, P. (2018) Administrative theory: An innovative approach to organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Published October 29, 2020.

Harvard Formatting Guide

Harvard Formatting

• et al Usage
• Direct Quotes
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Page Numbers
• Writing an Outline
• View Harvard Guide

Reference Examples

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Harvard Referencing Guide

About citing books, basic elements needed to reference a book.

Author (Surname Initial/s)

Year of publication

Edition (other than the first edition)

Place of Publication

Only include the place of publication if it’s relevant to the reader. The place of publication may be relevant if:

• you’re citing works with editions published in multiple locations
• the location the book was published impacts the credibility of your work

Sometimes knowing the place of publication of the sources adds credibility to the work. For example, an Australian publication may be more credible if it cites books published in Australia. Including the publishing location clearly shows the reader where the book is from. If including the place of publication, include the city listed. 

If the place of publication doesn’t add useful information for the reader, you can omit it from your citation.

One author, two authors, three or more authors

Elements of the reference, author a (year)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., in-text citation, eades (2013) or (eades 2013), reference list, eades d (2013)  aboriginal ways of using english , aboriginal studies press, canberra., two authors, author a and author b (year)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., strunk and white (2000) or (strunk and white 2000), strunk w and white eb (2000)  the elements of style , 4th edn, longman, new york., three or more authors, author a, author b and author c (year)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., stoll et al. (2020) or (stoll et al. 2020), stoll y, kurt jl and white eb (2020)  the international economy , 3rd edn, longman, new york., book with organisation as author, organisation name or abbreviation (year)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., oxford university press (2016)  or  (oxford university press 2016), oxford university press (2016)  new oxford style manual , oxford university press..

• If there is a DOI, you don’t need to include a publishing location.
• If there is no DOI ,  reference as you would a print book .
• As books are published in editions, you don’t need to include an accessed date.
• How to find a DOI  - You can search for a DOI by going to  https://search.crossref.org/  and pasting in the article title. 

Author A (Year)  Title of book: subtitle of book , Name of Publisher, doi:number.

Maddison (2013)  or  (maddison 2013), maddison s (2013)  australian public policy: theory and practice , 2nd edn, cambridge university press, doi:10.1017/cbo9781107255920., without a doi, author a (year)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., stein-parbury j (2013) patient and person: interpersonal skills in nursing , 5th edn, elsevier australia, sydney., edition other than the first.

Any edition other than the first is noted after the title of the book:

• Second edition = 2nd edn,
• Third edition = 3rd edn,
• Fourth edition = 4th edn,
• Revised edition = edn, rev,

Author A (Year)  Title of book: subtitle of book , X edn, Name of Publisher, Place of Publication.

Whitebread (2009)  or (whitebread 2009), whitebread d (2009)  design manual , 2nd edn, unsw press, sydney., edited book, editor e (ed) (year)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., carruthers (2005)  or (carruthers 2005), carruthers p (ed) (2005)  the innate mind: structure and contents , oxford university press, new york., carruthers p, laurence s, stich s and templeton g (eds) (2005)  the innate mind: structure and contents , oxford university press, new york., chapter in an edited book, author a (year) ‘title of chapter: subtitle of chapter’, in editor e and editor f (eds)  title of book: subtitle of book , name of publisher, place of publication., laurence and margolis (2005) or (laurence and margolis 2005), laurence s and margolis e (2005) ‘number and natural language’, in carruthers p, laurence s and stich s (eds)  the innate mind: structure and contents , oxford university press, new york., book with author and editor listed, author a (year)  title of book: subtitle of book  (editor e ed), name of publisher, place of publication., shakespeare (1600/1967) .., shakespeare w (1600/1967)  the merchant of venice  (moelwyn w ed), penguin books ltd, harmondsworth., translation of a book, author a (year)  english title of book: subtitle of book  (translator t trans), name of publisher, place of publication..

For translated works, use the original author’s name in the in-text citation .

Backman (2015) OR (Backman 2015)

Backman f (2015)  a man called ove: a novel  (koch h trans), washington square press, new york., backman f and hall f (2015)  a man called ove: a novel  (koch h and zimmer k trans), washington square press, new york., dictionary or encyclopedia entries.

• For dictionary or encyclopedia entries when there is no author is identified, cite the title (italicised) and year in the text. No need to include an entry in the reference list.
• Sometimes you might want to include a more detailed entry, and so would cite it according to the source type (book, chapter, web page) and include it in the reference list.

Example - in-text citation only

The  australian concise oxford dictionary  (acod) (2017) defines it as ..., book - part of a series.

• When a book is part of a series, provide the series title after the book title. Editions other than the first is noted after the title of the series.

Author A (Year)  Book title , Series title, Publisher, Place of Publication.

(saad 2007) or saad (2007:16), saad g (2007)  the evolutionary bases of consumption , marketing and consumer psychology series, lawrence erlbaum associates, mahwah, new jersey., pugel ta (2009)  international economics , the mcgraw-hill series in economics, 14th edn, mcgraw-hill irwin, boston., plays or poetry.

• Use the edition of the play you cited. If the play was written well before the edition, place the original date in parentheses with the edition’s publishing date.

Author A (Year of Original Publication/Year of Edition)  Title of play: subtitle of play , Name of Publisher of Edition, Place of Publication.

• Include a page number after a colon if you’re citing a specific page. Use the original and edition dates if citing an old work.

(Murray-Smith 2002:5)

(ross 1979:15), (yeats 1892/2018), murray-smith j (2002)  rapture , currency press, sydney., ross k (1979)  breaker morant: a play in two acts , edward arnold pty ltd, melbourne., yeats wb (1892/2018)  the countess cathleen: a play , createspace independent publishing platform, scotts valley., citing reviews of plays.

• Follow the rules of citation for the source (for example, a newspaper) that published the review. Use italics for the title of the play.

Reviewer R (Day Month Year) ‘Title of review: subtitle of review’ [Review of  Title of work  by Creator],  Name of Blog, Newspaper or Magazine , accessed Day Month Year.

Wilkins p (5 april 2019) ‘ how to rule the world  a timely reminder of issues facing the nation’ [review of  how to rule the world  by nakkiah lui],  the canberra times ., wakelin o (25 january 2019) ‘review:  the big time ,   ensemble theatre’ [review of  the big time  by david williamson],  artshub , accessed 18 december 2019., author a (year of original publication/year of edition) ‘title of poem: subtitle of poem’,  name of collection ,   name of publisher of edition, place of publication., (poe 1845/2012), (harrison 2008:133), (grono 1973), (coleridge the rime of the ancient mariner , part 2, verse 29, lines 121-2)..

• As in text, use the original capitalisation of the poem in the reference list entry.

Poe EA (1845/2012)  The raven , Arcturus Publishing Limited, London.

Harrison m (2008)  wild bees , university of western australia press, crawley., taylor a (1982) ‘the cool change’,  selected poems , university of queensland press, st lucia., grono w (1973) ‘a postcard from perth’, in hewett d (ed.),  sandgropers: a western australian anthology , university of western australia press, nedlands., dong-jip shin (1974) ‘ordinary autumn evening’,  best loved poems of korea,  (ko ch’ang-su, trans.), hollym international, republic of korea., white tw (1944)  sky saga: a story of empire airmen , 2nd edn, hutchinson & co., melbourne., harwood g (1963) ‘ critic’s nightwatch ’,  poems , poem hunter website, accessed 18 december 2019., open educational resource (oer), author surname, initial(s) year,  book title , oer publisher/repository., skripak et al. (2020) or (skripak et al. 2020), skripak sj, parsons r and cortes a (2020)  fundamentals of business , open textbook library..

• Disciplines and sources define the term ‘classics’ in different ways. This guidance covers ancient Greek and Roman works (until the 5th century) and works from the medieval period (from the fall of the Roman empire until the middle of the 15th century).

In references and in-text citations, treat the titles of classics as you would other book titles.

• Use sentence case – capitalise only the first letter of the title and the first letter of any proper noun.
• Use italics for the titles of books, series and anthologies.
• Use quotation marks for the titles of chapters, poems or sections.

In-text citations

• Often there will not be much information for classics. For example, you might not know the date of publication.
• Include the information that you know in in-text citations.
• If you don’t know the name of the author, don’t use ‘Anon’ ,  ‘unknown’ or ‘Anonymous’ in the in-text citation, simply place the date at the end of the sentence.

Beowulf is the story of a hero who defeats a dragon.

• If you don’t know the author or the date of a work, use the name of the translator (trans) and the date of publication of the edition you’re working with. Place the date at the end of the reference.

Beowulf ( Heaney S, trans), Faber & Faber Ltd, London, 2002.

Book in foreign language.

•  Provide English translation in parentheses immediately after the original title.
• The names of foreign publishers should not be translated. Use the anglicised spelling of foreign places of publications, e.g. Rome, not Roma.

Author A (Year)  Title of book in original language  (English translation), Publisher, Place of Publication.

(greau 2008) or greau (2008), greau j (2008) la trahison des économistes  (the betrayal of economists), gallimard, paris..

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Harvard Citation Style: Books / E-Books

Introduction

• Books / E-Books

Company Information

Conference Proceedings

• Internet / Websites

Journal Articles

Lecture Notes

• Multi-Media Formats
• Patents and Standards

All Examples

• Writing Support
• Citation Support

In This Guide...

Click on the links below for further information on referencing each material type

• Why is Referencing Important?
• Getting Started

Reference Formats

• References by Format
• Citing Info Someone Else has Cited

Books/eBooks

• 1, 2 or More Authors
• 1, 2 or More Editors
• Chapters in Books
• Company Reports
• Company Profiles

Internet/Websites

• Web Documents
• Computer Software
• CMO Articles

Multimedia Formats

• Audio-Visual Material

Newspaper Articles

Patents & Standards

• Citing Patents: Examples
• Citing Patents: Standards
• Citing Theses: Examples
• A table of examples in all formats for quick reference

Basic format for citing a Book or E-Book

Author(s) family name, initial(s) Year of publication, Title, Publisher, Place of publication.  

For books with multiple authors, edited books, E-books and chapters in books see Examples below.

Citing a Book or E-Book: Examples

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The generated references can be copied into a reference list or bibliography, and then collectively appended to the end of an academic assignment. This is the standard way to give credit to sources used in the main body of an assignment.

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A Harvard Referencing Generator solves two problems:

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How to Cite a Book in Harvard Style?

Published by Alaxendra Bets at August 30th, 2021 , Revised On August 23, 2023

In-Text and Reference List Format with Examples

Below are the different formats for citing books, chapters, or quotes, their reference list entry formats, and some examples to clarify.

1.    Books with a single author

Harvard style uses the following basic format for reference list entry for a book with one author:

Author Surname, First name initials Year, Title of book in italics, Edition is necessary, Publisher name, Place of publication, City/State abbreviation.

For example,

Hasler, E 2018, The built environment , Liverpool University Press, Liverpool.

It should be noted that in Harvard referencing, if the first Edition of a book is being referred to, its edition number is not written.

For in-text citations, the format is:

Author surname Year the book was published in, p.#

For example, (Anderson 1983, p. 23).

2.    Online books

The in-text citation format is the same for ebooks in Harvard as that of print copies. Here is an example of in-text citation for an ebook, from which a paragraph has been used in the manuscript:

The basic format follows:

(Author name, year, loc, chapter #).

For instance, (Burns 2018, para. 15). In such a case, if the page number is also available, the in-text citation will become (Burns 2018, para. 15, pg.25).

3.    Chapters from an edited book

Sometimes, authors refer to an entire chapter or multiple, complete chapters from a book in their manuscripts. The Harvard style for citing a chapter from a book is the same as that of citing a book itself, for example:

(Belsey 2006, p. 55)

Belsey (2006, p. 55) mentions…

4.    Direct quotes from a book

The basic format for citing a quote from a book (online or print) is the same as that for citing the book itself. For example,

‘I have enclosed a lake in lips, lapped it with crystal tongues’ (Hasler 2018, p. 39).

In her prose, Emily Hasler talks about enclosing a lake in lips (2018, p.39).

The reference list entry for this would be in the same format, too, that is:

Hasler, E 2018, The built environment, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool.

5.    Books with 2 or 3 authors

If a book has 2 or 3 authors, the Harvard style dictates that this basic format be used for the in-text citation:

Author 1 surname and Author 2 surname Year

For example, According to Puccio, Cabra, and Schwagler (2018) OR

Author 1 surname, Author 2 surname & Author 3 surname Year

For example: … this is evident from the data (Puccio, Cabra & Schwagler 2018).

The reference list entry follows this format:

Author surnames followed by their initials without any periods with initials Year,

Title of book in italics, Publisher name, Place of publication, City/State abbreviation.

For example, reference list entry for the above in-text citations would be:

Puccio, GJ, Cabra, JF & Schwagler, N 2018, Organizational creativity: a practical guide for innovators & entrepreneurs, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

6.    Books with more than 3 authors

Citing and referencing books with more than 3 authors is easier than it sounds. Thanks to the phrase ‘et al.,’ which means ‘and the rest’ or ‘and the others,’ the task becomes easier no matter which referencing style is being followed.

In Harvard referencing too, ‘et al.’ is a writer after the surname of the first author. For example, an in-text citation of a book with 3+ authors will look like this:

Crauder et al. (2018) have found… OR

Mathematical tools are important (Crauder et al. 2018).

The format for such a reference list entry is again the same as that used for books with 3 authors, i.e.:

Names of all the authors are provided.

Crauder, B, Evans, B, Johnson, J & Noell, A 2018, Quantitative literacy: thinking between the lines , W.H. Freeman, New York, NY.

7.    Books with no author name available

Every book has an author, obviously. But sometimes, the name of the author(s) might not be available. Either the book, if in print, is too old or faded that the author’s name isn’t visible anymore. Or, in the case of online books, the author’s name is just not provided on the website nor the book itself.

When this is the case, Harvard style suggests using the following format for in-text citation of a book with no author name available:

Year, para. # if available, p.#

For example: According to the Style manual for authors, editors and printers (2002, p. 197) … OR

( Style manual for authors, editors, and printers 2002, p. 197).

As the example shows, if the name of the book is available, then instead of the author’s surname, the title of the book is used as the first part of the in-text citation as well as the reference list entry.

For the reference list entry, the format is:

Title of book in italics in place of author’s or editor’s name Year, edition number except when it’s the first edition, Publisher name, Place of publication, City/State of abbreviation.

For example, the reference list entry for the above source will be:

Style manual for authors, editors and printers 2002, 6th edn, AGPS, Canberra, ACT.

8.    Books with one or multiple editors

The in-text citation format in Harvard style for books with an editor is:

edn. The surname of editor Year

For example, (edn. Smith 2018) OR

… edited by Editor’s surname (Year)

For example, edited by Smith (2018)

If there is more than one editor, the first editor’s surname is written, followed by eds. (short for editors).

The reference list entry follows the same format as that of a book with a single author. However, instead of the author’s surname, the editor’s surname is mentioned.

For example, reference list entry for the above-mentioned source would be:

Smith, KL (edn.) 2018, Sociology of globalization: cultures, economies, and politics , Routledge, Boulder, CO.

9.    Chapters or other kinds of parts from a book with multiple contributors

It might be that a book has been referenced to which has multiple contributors. They can be other authors or scholars who have written about the subject under discussion. Harvard in-text citation format for such a book or chapter from such a book is the same as a regular book i.e.:

(Author surname year, p.#)

For example, ‘Special economic zones were the earliest to be established in China’ (Wang 2018, p. 137). OR

Author surname (Year, p.#)

For example, Wang (2018, p. 137) states that ‘Special economic zones were the earliest to be established in China’.

The point to remember is that the name of the chapter’s any one author (contributor) has to be mentioned in the in-text reference.

The reference entry list also follows the same format as that of a regular book. So, the reference list entry for the above source would be:

Wang, S 2018, ‘From special economic zones to special technological zones’, in C Hsieh & M Lu (eds), Changing China: a geographic appraisal , Taylor & Francis, Boulder, CO, pp.137-155.

10.    Books with a translator alongside an author

If a book’s translated version has been used in a manuscript, it’s important to give reference to its translator. Harvard follows this format for doing so in the case of in-text citation:

(Translator name Year)

For example, (Jablonka 2018)

The format for such a book’s reference list entry in Harvard style is the same as that for books without a translator. However, in place of the author’s surname, the translator’s surname is written instead. Also, trans. which is short for translation is written after the book’s title, for example:

Jablonka, I 2018, History is contemporary literature: a manifesto for the social sciences , trans. N Bracher, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.

11.    Books with organization names

Sometimes, the organization that publishes a book is considered its author, too. In such a case, Harvard referencing style dictates the following formats be used for in-text and reference list entries:

For in-text citations: Name of the organization in place of author’s surname Year, for example:

(Britannica Educational Publishing 2018)

An important point to note: In case an organization has a very long name, its abbreviated title is written instead of its name. However, whichever format is to be followed, it should be followed consistently throughout the manuscript.

For reference list entry: Name of the organization Year, Title of the book in italics, Publisher name (often the same as the name of the organization), Place of Publication, City/State abbreviation.

For example, reference list entry for the above source would be:

Britannica Educational Publishing 2018, Statistics and probability , Britannica Educational Publishing, Chicago, IL.

12.    Books from a library database

The format for such books is the same as that of a print book. An example of in-text citation from a library database is:

(Bowie et al. 2018) OR

Bowie et al. (2018) regards…

Its reference list entry would be:

Bowie, D, Buttle, F, Brookes, M & Mariussen, A 2016, Hospitality marketing , Routledge, London.

Point to remember: Library database books are also online, therefore, these are ebooks, too.

13.    Books from a website, blog, or another online platform

The format for citing and referencing books from a website is also the same as that for print or other ebook formats. However, the only difference lies in the fact that retrieval data and a URL is included instead of city/state of publication in reference list entry.

An example of an in-text citation of a book obtained from a website is:

(Fetter 1904) OR

Fetter (1904) stated…

Its reference list entry will be:

Fetter, FA 1904, The principles of economics: with applications to practical problems , Century, viewed 21 January 2019, <https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40077/40077-h/40077-h.htm>.

It can be written as either ‘viewed’ or ‘retrieved on.’ But whichever term is used, it should be used consistently throughout the manuscript.

14.    Books from an eReader

An eReader is an online platform that is used for reading books, either for free or for a certain amount of money. Commonly used eReaders these days include Amazon and Wattpad.

In Harvard style, the format for in-text citations for eReader books is:

(Author surname Year, Section/Chapter Title, p.#)

For example, ‘I decided to openly fight the machine, the manufacturers of myth…’ (McGowan 2018, Author’s note, Loc 236)

In case of reference list entries, the format followed is:

Author surname, First name initials, title of the book in italics, eReader version #, retrieval date Month Year from eReader name.

McGowan, R 2018, Brave , eReader version, accessed 18 May 2018 from Amazon.com.

In case of referencing direct quotes from an eReader book whose page numbers aren’t accessible, the name of the chapter, section, and paragraph number is written instead.

For example:

In-text citation: (Nietzsche 2017) OR

(Nietzsche 2017, chapter 1, para. 2)

Reference list entry: Nietzsche, F 2017, Beyond good and evil, Kindle edition, AmazonClassics, Seattle, viewed 18 August 2019, <https://www.amazon.com.au/>.

15.    Multiple books by the same author

Sometimes, it might be that more than a single book has been cited or referenced, all having the same author. In such a case, every reference entry is separate for each of the books cited in the text. Also, the book that was published first is referenced first in the reference list.

The Harvard format for citing multiple works by the same author in the text is the same as that of a regular book, by a single author, i.e.:

(Author Surname Year, p.#)

For instance, ‘Perceptions of an event have more impact than the event itself, so accurate perceptions are key (Fujishin 2016, 2018).’

‘Fujishin (2016, 2018) tells us gesture is critical to creating genuine interpersonal connections.’

Author Surname, First name initials, the title of the book in italics, Publisher name, City, Country.

For instance, the reference list entries for the above two books by the same author will be:

Fujishin, R 2016, Natural bridges: a guide to interpersonal communication , Routledge, Abbingdon, England.

Fujishin, R 2018, The natural speaker , 9th edn, Routledge, New York.

The book that was published first is referenced first.

16.    Multiple books with the same author and publication date

In Harvard referencing, the letters a, b, c etc. are written alongside the year of the books’ publication by the same author. In the text, the citation follows the format:

(Author surname, Yeara, Yearb)

For example, ‘The illustrations in Branford & Coutts (2015a, 2015b) highlight how line drawings add to the textual message … ‘

​The reference list entry is the same as that for a regular book with a single author. However, the same letter is written with the publication year as that written in the in-text citation whose reference is being given.

For example, the two books (by the same authors) for the above in-text citation will have the following reference list entries:

Branford, A & Coutts, L 2015a, The precious ring, Walker Books Australia, Newtown, NSW.

Branford, A & Coutts, L 2015b, The wishing seed, Walker Books Australia, Newtown, NSW.

Here, ‘a’ and ‘b’ denotes the two books, indicating to the readers that both are by the same authors.

17.    Books that are part of a series

When a book that is part of a series is being referenced and cited in Harvard style, the series title is written after the book title. If the first edition was used, it’s not mentioned. All other editions must be specified after the series’ title.

The general Harvard format for citing such books is:

In-text citation: (Author Surname Year) OR

(Author Surname Year, page number)

Note: When multiple authors’ names are written in the text, ‘and is used in between them.

Reference list entry: Author Surname, Initial(s) Year, Book title in italics, Series title Publisher, Place of Publication.

In-text citation: (Saad 2007) OR (Saad 2007, p. 89)

Reference list entry: Saad, G 2007, The evolutionary bases of consumption , Marketing and consumer psychology series, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, New Jersey.

Similarly, another example is:

In-text citation: (Pugel 2009) OR (Pugel 2009, p. 55)

Reference list entry: Pugel, TA 2009, International economics , The McGraw-Hill series in economics, 14th edn, McGraw-Hill Irwin, Boston.

18.    Secondary Sources

Secondary sources refer to the use of some words/phrases and ideas etc. of an author who himself/herself has been referenced to in the book. In-text citation used in Harvard style for such a source has the format:

(Surname of Author whose ideas/words are being referenced to, cited in Surname of Author whose book contains the reference to the original author Year, p.#).

For example, ‘…new forms of oversight and ethical review were integrated into growing bureaucracies of big bioscience’ (Stark, cited in Hurlbut 2017, p.3).

This way, justice is done and the names of both the authors are provided.

In the reference list entry, the title of that book is provided which was read, which contained the ideas/words of another author. The remainder of the reference format is the same as that of a regular with a single author.

For example, for the above source, the reference list entry will be:

Hurlbut, JB 2017, Experiments in democracy: human embryo research and the politics of bioethics , Columbia University Press, New York, NY.

19.    Classical books

In-text citation for quotes or other forms of references from classical works is like that of the Bible. The author’s surname is followed by a chapter, volume, or section number (depending on whichever is available) and, after a semi-colon, the page number and version name of the classic is given.

For example, ‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself (John 15:4, New International Version).

In the case of reference list entries for cited classics,

• A reference list entry is not needed if no direct quote or extract has been cited in the text.
• In case a particular edition—for instance, an abridged version of a classic—has been cited in the text, its reference is given in the same format as that of a regular print book.
• In citations such as this one, ‘William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act 3, scene 2, line 74 illustrates the involvement of family …’ a reference list entry is not needed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you harvard reference a book.

To Harvard reference a book:

• Author’s Last name, First initials.
• Year of publication.
• Title in italics.
• Edition (if not the first).
• Place of publication.
• Publisher. Example: Smith, J. (2023). “Academic Writing Guide.” 2nd ed. Academic Press.

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Author Surname, Author Initial. Year Published. Title [online]. City: Publisher.

Harvard referencing style follows the author-date system of in-text citation. It’s essential to mention page numbers of the book’s information you’ve used.

Citing Journals may vary slightly in style, depending on the style used by the journal.

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Quick guide to Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right)

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There are different versions of the Harvard referencing style. This guide is a quick introduction to the commonly-used Cite Them Right version. You will find further guidance available through the OU Library on the Cite Them Right Database .

For help and support with referencing and the full Cite Them Right guide, have a look at the Library’s page on referencing and plagiarism . If you need guidance referencing OU module material you can check out which sections of Cite Them Right are recommended when referencing physical and online module material .

This guide does not apply to OU Law undergraduate students . If you are studying a module beginning with W1xx, W2xx or W3xx, you should refer to the Quick guide to Cite Them Right referencing for Law modules .

Table of contents

In-text citations and full references.

• Secondary referencing
• Page numbers
• Citing multiple sources published in the same year by the same author

Full reference examples

Referencing consists of two elements:

• in-text citations, which are inserted in the body of your text and are included in the word count. An in-text citation gives the author(s) and publication date of a source you are referring to. If the publication date is not given, the phrase 'no date' is used instead of a date. If using direct quotations or you refer to a specific section in the source you also need the page number/s if available, or paragraph number for web pages.
• full references, which are given in alphabetical order in reference list at the end of your work and are not included in the word count. Full references give full bibliographical information for all the sources you have referred to in the body of your text.

To see a reference list and intext citations check out this example assignment on Cite Them Right .

Difference between reference list and bibliography

a reference list only includes sources you have referred to in the body of your text

a bibliography includes sources you have referred to in the body of your text AND sources that were part of your background reading that you did not use in your assignment

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Examples of in-text citations

You need to include an in-text citation wherever you quote or paraphrase from a source. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author(s), the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. There are a number of ways of incorporating in-text citations into your work - some examples are provided below. Alternatively you can see examples of setting out in-text citations in Cite Them Right .

Note: When referencing a chapter of an edited book, your in-text citation should give the author(s) of the chapter.

Online module materials

(Includes written online module activities, audio-visual material such as online tutorials, recordings or videos).

When referencing material from module websites, the date of publication is the year you started studying the module.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication/presentation) 'Title of item'. Module code: Module title . Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).

OR, if there is no named author:

The Open University (Year of publication/presentation) 'Title of item'. Module code: Module title . Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).

Rietdorf, K. and Bootman, M. (2022) 'Topic 3: Rare diseases'. S290: Investigating human health and disease . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1967195 (Accessed: 24 January 2023).

The Open University (2022) ‘3.1 The purposes of childhood and youth research’. EK313: Issues in research with children and young people . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1949633&section=1.3 (Accessed: 24 January 2023).

You can also use this template to reference videos and audio that are hosted on your module website:

The Open University (2022) ‘Video 2.7 An example of a Frith-Happé animation’. SK298: Brain, mind and mental health . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=2013014&section=4.9.6 (Accessed: 22 November 2022).

The Open University (2022) ‘Audio 2 Interview with Richard Sorabji (Part 2)’. A113: Revolutions . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1960941&section=5.6 (Accessed: 22 November 2022).

Note: if a complete journal article has been uploaded to a module website, or if you have seen an article referred to on the website and then accessed the original version, reference the original journal article, and do not mention the module materials. If only an extract from an article is included in your module materials that you want to reference, you should use secondary referencing, with the module materials as the 'cited in' source, as described above.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of message', Title of discussion board , in Module code: Module title . Available at: URL of VLE (Accessed: date).

Fitzpatrick, M. (2022) ‘A215 - presentation of TMAs', Tutor group discussion & Workbook activities , in A215: Creative writing . Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/forumng/discuss.php?d=4209566 (Accessed: 24 January 2022).

Note: When an ebook looks like a printed book, with publication details and pagination, reference as a printed book.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) Title . Edition if later than first. Place of publication: publisher. Series and volume number if relevant.

For ebooks that do not contain print publication details

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) Title of book . Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date).

Example with one author:

Bell, J. (2014) Doing your research project . Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Adams, D. (1979) The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy . Available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-ebooks (Accessed: 23 June 2021).

Example with two or three authors:

Goddard, J. and Barrett, S. (2015) The health needs of young people leaving care . Norwich: University of East Anglia, School of Social Work and Psychosocial Studies.

Example with four or more authors:

Young, H.D. et al. (2015) Sears and Zemansky's university physics . San Francisco, CA: Addison-Wesley.

Note: You can choose one or other method to reference four or more authors (unless your School requires you to name all authors in your reference list) and your approach should be consistent.

Note: Books that have an editor, or editors, where each chapter is written by a different author or authors.

Surname of chapter author, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of chapter or section', in Initial. Surname of book editor (ed.) Title of book . Place of publication: publisher, Page reference.

Franklin, A.W. (2012) 'Management of the problem', in S.M. Smith (ed.) The maltreatment of children . Lancaster: MTP, pp. 83–95.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Journal , volume number (issue number), page reference.

If accessed online:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Journal , volume number (issue number), page reference. Available at: DOI or URL (if required) (Accessed: date).

Shirazi, T. (2010) 'Successful teaching placements in secondary schools: achieving QTS practical handbooks', European Journal of Teacher Education , 33(3), pp. 323–326.

Shirazi, T. (2010) 'Successful teaching placements in secondary schools: achieving QTS practical handbooks', European Journal of Teacher Education , 33(3), pp. 323–326. Available at: https://libezproxy.open.ac.uk/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/log... (Accessed: 27 January 2023).

Barke, M. and Mowl, G. (2016) 'Málaga – a failed resort of the early twentieth century?', Journal of Tourism History , 2(3), pp. 187–212. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/1755182X.2010.523145

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Newspaper , Day and month, Page reference.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Newspaper , Day and month, Page reference if available. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Mansell, W. and Bloom, A. (2012) ‘£10,000 carrot to tempt physics experts’, The Guardian , 20 June, p. 5.

Roberts, D. and Ackerman, S. (2013) 'US draft resolution allows Obama 90 days for military action against Syria', The Guardian , 4 September. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/syria-strikes-draft-resolut... (Accessed: 9 September 2015).

Surname, Initial. (Year that the site was published/last updated) Title of web page . Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Organisation (Year that the page was last updated) Title of web page . Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Robinson, J. (2007) Social variation across the UK . Available at: https://www.bl.uk/british-accents-and-dialects/articles/social-variation... (Accessed: 21 November 2021).

The British Psychological Society (2018) Code of Ethics and Conduct . Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/bps-code-ethics-and-conduct (Accessed: 22 March 2019).

Note: Cite Them Right Online offers guidance for referencing webpages that do not include authors' names and dates. However, be extra vigilant about the suitability of such webpages.

Surname, Initial. (Year) Title of photograph . Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Kitton, J. (2013) Golden sunset . Available at: https://www.jameskittophotography.co.uk/photo_8692150.html (Accessed: 21 November 2021).

stanitsa_dance (2021) Cossack dance ensemble . Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/COI_slphWJ_/ (Accessed: 13 June 2023).

Note: If no title can be found then replace it with a short description.

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What is the Harvard Referencing System?

The Harvard citation style is a system that students, writers and researchers can use to incorporate other people’s quotes, findings and ideas into their work in order to support and validate their conclusions without breaching any intellectual property laws. The popular format is typically used in assignments and publications for humanities as well as natural, social and behavioural sciences.

It is a parenthetical referencing system that is made up of two main components:

• In-text citations including the author’s surname and the year of publication should be shown in brackets wherever another source has contributed to your work
• A reference list outlining all of the sources directly cited in your work

While in-text citations are used to briefly indicate where you have directly quoted or paraphrased a source, your reference list is an alphabetized list of complete Harvard citations that enables your reader to locate each source with ease. Each entry should be keyed to a corresponding parenthetical citation in the main body of your work, so that a reader can take an in-text citation and quickly retrieve the source from your reference list.

Note that some universities, and certain disciplines, may also require you to provide a bibliography. This is a detailed list of all of the material you have consulted throughout your research and preparation, and it will demonstrate the lengths you have gone to in researching your chosen topic.

‘Harvard referencing’ is an umbrella term for any referencing style that uses the author name and year of publication within the text to indicate where you have inserted a source. This author-date system appeals to both authors and readers of academic work. Scholars find the format an economical way of writing, and it is generally more accessible to the reader as there are no footnotes crowding the page. Only the name of the author, the publication date of the source and, if necessary, the page numbers are included in the parenthetical citations, for example: (Joyce, 2008).

Use the Cite This For Me Harvard style referencing generator to create your fully-formatted in-text references and reference list in the blink of an eye. Stop giving yourself extra pain and work for no reason and sign up to Cite This For Me today – your only regret will be that you didn’t use our citation generator sooner!

Popular Harvard Referencing Examples

• Chapter of a book
• Conference proceedings 
• Court case 
• Dissertation 
• Encyclopedia article 
• Image online or video
• Presentation or lecture
• Video, film, or DVD

Cite This For Me Harvard Referencing Guide

The following guide provides you with everything you need to know to do justice to all your hard work and get a mark that reflects those sleepless nights. If you’re not sure how to format your Harvard style citations, what citations are, or are simply curious about the Cite This For Me citation generator, our guide will answer all of your questions while offering you a comprehensive introduction to the style. Keep reading to find out why you need to use a referencing system, how to add citations in the body of your assignment, and how to compile a reference list.

Sometimes, students do not encounter citing until they embark on to degree-level studies, yet it is a crucial academic skill that will propel you towards establishing yourself in the academic community. It’s a common mistake to leave citing and creating a complete and accurate bibliography until the very last minute, but with the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator you can cite-as-you-go.

So, if you need a helping hand with your referencing then why not try Cite This For Me’s automated citation generator ? The generator accesses knowledge from across the web, assembling all of the relevant information into a fully-formatted reference list that clearly presents all of the sources that have contributed to your work. Using this Harvard reference generator to cite your sources enables you to cross the finishing line in style.

It is important to bear in mind that there is a plethora of different citation styles out there – the use of any particular one depends on the preference of your college, subject, professor or the publication you are submitting the work to. If you’re unsure which style you should be using, consult your tutor and follow their guidelines. If your lecturer or department does not ask you to use a particular style, we recommend using the Harvard referencing system because it is simple to use and easy to learn.

The powerful citation generator above can auto-generate citations in 7,000+ styles. So, whether your professor prefers that you use the MLA format , or your discipline requires you to adopt the APA citation or Chicago citation style , we have the style you need. Cite This For Me also provides citation generators and handy style guides for styles such as ASA , AMA or IEEE . To accurately create citations in a specific format, simply sign up to Cite This For Me for free and select your chosen style.

Are you struggling with citing an unfamiliar source type? Or feeling confused about whether to cite a piece of common knowledge? This guide will tell you everything you need to know to get both your parenthetical Harvard citations and reference list completed quickly and accurately.

Why Do I Need to Cite?

Harvard referencing can be a confusing task, especially if you are new to the concept, but it’s absolutely essential. In fact, accurate and complete referencing can mean the difference between reaching your academic goals and damaging your reputation amongst scholars. Simply put – referencing is the citing of sources you have utilised to support your essay, research, conference or article, etc.

Even if you are using our Harvard style citation generator, understanding why you need to cite will go a long way in helping you to naturally integrate the process into your research and writing routine.

Firstly, whenever another source contributes to your work you must give the original author the appropriate credit in order to avoid plagiarism, even when you have completely reworded the information. The only exception to this rule is common knowledge – e.g., Brazil is a country in South America. While plagiarism is not always intentional, it is easy to accidentally plagiarize your work when you are under pressure from imminent deadlines, you have managed your time ineffectively, or if you lack confidence when putting ideas into your own words. The consequences can be severe; deduction of marks at best, expulsion from college or legal action from the original author at worst. Find out more here.

This may sound overwhelming, but using our Harvard citation generator can help you avoid plagiarism and carry out your research and written work thoughtfully and responsibly. We have compiled a handy checklist to follow while you are working on an assignment.

How to avoid plagiarism:

• Formulate a detailed plan – carefully outline both the relevant content you need to include, as well as how you plan on structuring your work
• Keep track of your sources – record all of the relevant publication information as you go (e.g., If you are citing a book you should note the author or editor’s name(s), year of publication, title, edition number, city of publication and name of publisher). Carefully save each quote, word-for-word, and place it in inverted commas to differentiate it from your own words. Tired of interrupting your workflow to cite? Use our Harvard referencing generator to automate the process.
• Manage your time effectively – make use of time plans and targets, and give yourself enough time to read, write and proofread
• When you are paraphrasing information, make sure that you use only your own words and a sentence structure that differs from the original text
• Every quote or paraphrase should have a corresponding reference in the text. In addition, a full reference is needed on the final page of the project.
• Save all of your research and citations in a safe place – organise and manage your Harvard style citations

If you carefully check your college or publisher’s advice and guidelines on citing and stick to this checklist, you should be confident that you will not be accused of plagiarism.

Secondly, proving that your writing is informed by appropriate academic reading will enhance your work’s authenticity. Academic writing values original thought that analyzes and builds upon the ideas of other scholars. It is therefore important to use Harvard style referencing to accurately signpost where you have used someone else’s ideas in order to show that your writing is based on knowledge and informed by appropriate academic reading. Citing your sources will demonstrate to your reader that you have delved deeply into your chosen topic and supported your thesis with expert opinions.

Here at Cite This For Me we understand how precious your time is, which is why we created our Harvard citation generator and guide to help relieve the unnecessary stress of citing. Escape assignment-hell and give yourself more time to focus on the content of your work by using the Cite This For Me citation management tool.

Harvard Referencing Guidelines by School

• Anglia University Harvard Referencing
• Anglia Ruskin University
• Bath University
• Bournemouth University Harvard Referencing
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Cardiff University Harvard Referencing
• City University London
• Coventry University Harvard Referencing
• Cranfield Harvard
• DMU Harvard Referencing
• Durham University Business School
• Edge Hill University Harvard Referencing
• European Archaeology
• Imperial College University Harvard Referencing
• Institute of Physics
• Leeds University Harvard Referencing
• King’s College London
• LSBU Harvard Referencing
• Manchester Business School
• MMU Harvard Referencing
• Newcastle University
• Northwest University
• Oxford Brookes University
• Oxford Centre for Mission Studies
• SHU Harvard Referencing
• Staffordshire University Harvard Referencing
• Swinburne University of Technology
• The Open University
• UCA Harvard Referencing
• University of Abertay Dundee
• University of Birmingham
• University of Cape Town
• University of Gloucestershire
• University of Greenwich Harvard
• University of Hull
• University of Kent – Harvard
• University of Limerick
• University of Melbourne
• University of Northampton
• University of Sunderland
• University of Technology, Sydney
• University of West London
• UWE Harvard Referencing
• UWS Harvard Referencing
• Wolverhampton University Harvard Referencing
• York University

How Do I Create and Format In-text Harvard Style Citations?

In-text citations are the perfect way to seamlessly integrate sources into your work, allowing you to strengthen the connection between your own ideas, and the source material that you have found, with ease. It is worth noting that in-text citations must be included in your assignment’s final word count.

When adopting Harvard style referencing in your work, if you are inserting a quote, statement, statistic or any other kind of source information into the main body of your essay you should:

• Provide the author’s surname and date of publication in parentheses right after the taken information or at the end of the sentence

There are many assumptions when it comes to the information processing approach to cognition… (Lutz and Huitt, 2004).

• If you have already mentioned the author in the sentence, Harvard referencing guidelines require you to only enter the year of publication in parentheses, directly after where the author’s surname is mentioned.

In the overview of these developmental theories, Lutz and Huitt (2004) suggest that…

• If you are quoting a particular section of the source (rather than the entire work), you should also include a page number, or page range, after the date, within the parenthetical Harvard citation

“…the development of meaning is more important than the acquisition of a large set of knowledge or skills …” (Lutz and Huitt, 2004, p.8), which means that …

• Note that if the source has four or more authors, you do not need to write out all of their surnames; simply use the first author’s surname followed by the abbreviation ‘et al.’ (meaning ‘and others’).

The results showed that respondents needed to reach out to multiple health agencies in order to cover the costs of their services (Wolbeck Minke et al., 2007).

• If you are reading a source by one author and they cite work by another author, you may cite that original work as a secondary reference. You are encouraged to track down the original source – usually this is possible to do by consulting the author’s reference list – but if you are unable to access it, the Harvard referencing guidelines state that you must only cite the source you did consult as you did not actually read the original document. Include the words ‘cited in’ in the in-text citation to indicate this.

Fong’s 1987 study (cited in Bertram 1997) found that older students’ memory can be as good as that of young people…

(Fong, cited in Bertram 1997)

Why use a Harvard referencing tool? As well as saving you valuable time, the Cite This For Me generator can help you easily avoid common errors when formatting your in-text citations. So, if you’re looking for an easy way to credit your source material, simply login to your Cite This For Me account to copy, save and export each in-text Harvard citation.

How Do I Format My Reference List?

Utilizing and building on a wide range of relevant sources is one way of impressing your reader, and a comprehensive list of the source material you have used is the perfect platform to exhibit your research efforts. A reference list is always required when you cite other people’s work within your assignment, and the brief in-text Harvard style citations in your work should directly link to your reference list.

As a general rule a reference list includes every source that you have cited in your work, while a bibliography also contains any relevant background reading which you have consulted to familiarise yourself with the topic (even those sources that are never mentioned in the narrative). Your Harvard referencing bibliography should start on its own page, with the same formatting as the rest of the paper and aligned to the left with the sources listed alphabetically. Certain fields ask you to provide an annotated bibliography that includes your full citations with the addition of notes. These notes are added to further analyze the source, and can be of any length.

Many people use the terms ‘reference list’ and ‘bibliography’ interchangeably, and if you are using the Harvard reference style you may be required to provide a bibliography as well as a reference list, so be sure to check this with your tutor.

Follow these guidelines when compiling your reference list:

• Start your reference list on a new page at the end of your document
• General formatting should be in keeping with the rest of your work
• Use ‘Reference List’ as the heading
• Copy each of your full-length Harvard citations into a list
• Arrange the list in alphabetical order by the author’s last name (titles with no author are alphabetized by the work’s title, and if you are citing two or more sources by the same author they should be listed in chronological order of the year of publication)
• When there are several works from one author or source, they should be listed together but in date order – with the earliest work listed first
• Italicize titles of books, reports, conference proceedings etc. For journal articles, the title of the journal should be printed in italics, rather than the title of the journal article
• Capitalize the first letter of the publication title, the first letters of all main words in the title of a journal, and all first letters of a place name and publisher

Creating and managing your reference list with the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator will help improve the way you reference and conduct research.

Reference list / bibliography examples:

• Book, one author:

Bell, J. (2010) Doing your research project . 5th edn. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

• One author, book, multiple editions:

Hawking, S.W. (1998) A brief history of time: From the big bang to black holes . 10th edn. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

• Chapter in an edited book:

Jewsiewicki, B. (2010). ‘Historical Memory and Representation of New Nations in Africa’, in Diawara, M., Lategan, B., and Rusen, J. (eds.) Historical memory in Africa: Dealing with the past, reaching for the future in an intercultural context . New York: Berghahn Books, pp. 53-66.

If all information resembles a book, use the template for a book reference

If a page number is unavailable, use chapter number. URL links are not necessary, but can be useful. When including a URL, include the date the book was downloaded at the end of the Harvard citation:

Available at: URL (Downloaded: DD Month YYYY)

• More than three authors, journal article*:

Shakoor, J., et al. (2011) ‘A prospective longitudinal study of children’s theory of mind and adolescent involvement in bullying’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 53(3), pp. 254–261. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02488.x.

• Conference papers:

Drogen, E. (2014) ‘Changing how we think about war: The role of psychology’, The British Psychological Society 2014 Annual Conference . The ICC, Birmingham British Psychological Society, 07-09 May 2014.

• Web page, by an individual:

Moon, M. (2019) Ubisoft put an official video game design course inside a video game . Available at https://www.engadget.com/2019/09/25/ubisoft-video-game-design-course/ (Accessed 19 November 2019).

• Web page, by a company or organization:

RotoBaller (2019) NFL player news . Available at https://www.rotoballer.com/player-news?sport=nfl (Accessed 17 September 2019).

For both types of web page references, the date the page was published or updated is placed in parentheses immediately following the author information. If a date is missing from the source, place (no date) next to the author’s name and make sure to include an accessed date at the end of the reference.

Are you struggling to find all of the publication information to complete a reference? Did you know that our Harvard citation generator can help you?

Time is of the essence when you’re finishing a paper, but there’s no need to panic because you can compile your reference list in a matter of seconds using the Cite This For Me Harvard style citation generator. Sign in to your Cite This For Me account to save and export your reference list.

Harvard Referencing Formatting Guidelines

Accurate referencing doesn’t only protect your work from plagiarism – presenting your source material in a consistent and clear way also enhances the readability of your work. Closely follow the style’s formatting rules on font type, font size, text-alignment and line spacing to ensure that your work is easily legible. Before submitting your work check that you have formatted your whole paper – including your reference list – according to the style’s formatting guidelines.

How to format in Harvard referencing:

• Margins: 2.5cm on all sides
• Shortened title followed by the page number in the header, aligned to the right
• Double-space the entirety of the paper
• ½ inch indentation for every new paragraph (press tab bar)
• Suggested fonts: Times New Roman, Arial and Courier New for Windows; Times New Roman, Helvetica and Courier for Mac, 12pt size. Ensure that all Harvard citations are in the same font as the rest of the work
• Reference list on a separate page at the end of the body of your work

Even when using a Harvard citation generator, always check with your professor for specified guidelines – there is no unified style for the formatting of a paper. Make sure that you apply the recommended formatting rules consistently throughout your work.

A Brief History of the Harvard Reference Style

The author-date system is attributed to eminent zoologist Edward Laurens Mark (1847-1946), Hersey professor of anatomy and director of Harvard’s zoological laboratory. It is widely agreed that the first evidence of Harvard referencing can be traced back to Mark’s landmark cytological paper (Chernin, 1988). The paper breaks away from previous uses of inconsistent and makeshift footnotes through its use of a parenthetical author-date citation accompanied by an explanatory footnote.

• Parenthetic author-year citation, page 194 of Mark’s 1881 paper:

[…] The appearance may be due solely to reflection from the body itself. (Comp. Flemming, ‘78b, p. 310.*)

• Mark’s rationale for his Harvard citational scheme:

*The numbers immediately following an author’s name serve the double purpose of referring the reader to the list (p. 591) where the titles of papers are given, and of informing him at once of the approximate date of the paper in question.

A tribute dedicated to Mark in 1903 by 140 students credits Mark’s paper with having ‘introduced into zoology a proper fullness and accuracy of citation and a convenient and uniform method of referring from text to bibliography’ (Parker, 1903). Today Harvard referencing is widely considered one of the most accessible styles and, although it originated in biology, these days it is used across most subjects – particularly in the humanities, history and social science.

The Evolution of the Harvard Referencing Style

Due to its simplicity and ease of use, the format has become one of the most widely used citation styles in the world. Unlike many citing styles there is no official manual, but institutions such as colleges offer their own unique Harvard reference style guide, and each has its own nuances when it comes to punctuation, order of information and formatting rules. Simply go to the Cite This For Me website to login to your Cite This For Me account and search for the version you need. Make sure you apply consistency throughout your work.

It is increasingly easy for writers to access information and knowledge via the internet, and in turn both the style’s guidelines and our citation generator are continually updated to include developments in electronic publishing. The Cite This For Me Harvard style citation generator currently uses the Cite Them Right 10th Edition, which has evolved in recent years to match the rapidly advancing digital age. In order to avoid plagiarism, you must be cautious about pulling information from the internet, and ensure that you accurately cite all source material used in your written work – including all online sources that have contributed to your research.

Key differences from previous Harvard referencing Cite Them Right editions:

• Previous editions required printed books and eBooks to be referenced differently – in the 10th edition, both are now referenced using the same template (if all the necessary information is available). An Ebook is considered to be the digital format of a published book (or a book that is only published in digital format) that is meant for reading on an electronic device.
• URLs are no longer a requirement for digital media if the information provided in the Harvard citation is sufficient to find the source without it. They should be included if the source is difficult to find, or pieces of source information – such as an author name – are missing.
• When a source has more than 3 authors, use the abbreviation “et al.” instead of listing each out.

These days students draw on a diverse range of digital sources to support their written work. Whether you are citing a hashtag on Instagram , a podcast or a mobile app, the Cite This For Me generator will take care of your Harvard citations, regardless of the type of source you want to cite. So don’t be held back by sources that are difficult to cite – locating unusual source material will help your work to stand out from the crowd.

How Do I Create Accurate Harvard Citations?

Creating complete and correctly formatted citations can be a challenge for many writers, especially when documenting multiple source types. Our primary goal at Cite This For Me is to offer support to students and researchers across the globe by transforming the way in which they perceive citing. We hope that after using our citation generator and reading this Harvard referencing guide, what was once considered an arduous process, will be viewed as a highly-valued skill that enhances the quality of your work.

Disheartened by the stressful process of citing? Got a fast-approaching deadline? Using the Cite This For Me fast, accessible and free generator makes creating accurate citations easier than ever, leaving more time for you to focus on achieving your academic goals.

Create a free account to add and edit each Harvard citation on the spot, import and export full projects or individual entries. Things get even easier with Cite This For Me for Chrome – an intuitive, handy browser extension that allows you to create and edit a citation while you browse the web. Use the extension on any webpage that you want to cite, and add it to your chosen project without interrupting your workflow.

The Cite This For Me citation management tool is here to help you, so what are you waiting for? Accurate Harvard citations are just a click away!

Reference List

Chernin, E. (1988) The ‘Harvard System’: A mystery dispelled. Available at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/referenc/harvard.pdf (Accessed: 4 July 2016).

Parker, G. (ed.) (1903) Mark anniversary volume. New York: Henry Holt.

Manage all your citations in one place

Create projects, add notes, and cite directly from your browser. Sign up for Cite This For Me today!

How to Cite Books in Harvard Style

Now, the big question is:

How to cite a book in Harvard referencing?

We recommend you to start with general format and then move to the specific book type you need to cite.

Just copy or download your citation, insert necessary information (like author’s name, title) — and you are all set.

General Book Format:

Last Name, Initials Publication Date, Title of book , Publisher, City.

In our citation examples we use the following color coding:

• Red – Author
• Blue – Title of book/article/charter/webpage
• Pink – Date
• Orange – Website/Publisher
• Turquoise – Place of publication
• Violet – Editor/Translator
• Black – Volume/Issue
• Sienna – Pages
• Gray – URL/database/website where the source is retrieved
• Gold – Book, a part/chapter of which is being cited

Single author

Download Citation

Two or three authors

Four or more authors, multiple works by the same author.

Please note that on the Reference List works by the same author are arranged by year of publication with the earliest work put first.

Multiple works published in the same year by the same author

See those a and b ?

Wondering why are they used?

Different letters (in alphabetical order) are used to distinguish between works that have been written by the same author and published in one year.

It’s useful for your in-text citation so that everyone will understand what exact book you are referring to.

Different editions

Note that when using any edition of the book other than the first, use the publication date of that particular edition and make sure to add the edition number to the entry on the Reference List.

Encyclopedia or dictionary

• when using more than one volume of an encyclopedia, note the volumes used on the Reference List entry.
• fill in the rest of the information as you would for an edited book.

Chapter in an edited book

• different formats are used for the name of authors and editors. The author of the chapter is stated at the beginning of the entry in a regular book format (last name followed by initials). However, the name of the editor is listed after the name of the chapter, with initials first, followed by last name.
• in (ed.) and (eds), only use punctuation if there is one editor, skip the period if there are two or more editors in the entry.
• remember to include page numbers at the end of the entry.

Chapter in an edited book (no author)

Not sure how to reference a chapter in a book with no author?

Nothing can be easier.

Just omit the name of the author.

Pamphlet (no author)

Ebook (from a database of subscribed ebooks).

• for eBooks accessed online, make sure to include date last viewed.
• there is no need to include the location of publication of the print version, but do include the name of the original publisher.

Thesis (online)

• when using a thesis, it is important to distinguish it from other types of academic works. Specify the education level for the thesis (MA, MSc or PhD) and the educational institution to which the thesis was submitted.
• if the thesis is available online, provide a current link and fill in the date that you last accessed the document.

Paper from a published conference proceedings

Further study.

• Effective Tips for Writing an Annotated Bibliography
• How to Write Bibliography for Assignment
• American Antiquity Citation Style Guide

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Harvard referencing quick guide: Citing and referencing material

• Introduction
• General guidelines
• Citing and referencing material
• Sample assignment
• Referencing software

Chapter in an edited book

Use when referring to a single chapter in an edited book.

Full edited book

Use when referring to the entire book

Need to reference something else?

Check our full Harvard referencing guide for more material types.

Journal article online

Material on the Web often falls into one of the material types already covered in this guide. Information published on the Web is not necessarily a webpage. In such cases, follow the instructions for the material type in question (e.g. research report, e-book).

• << Previous: General guidelines
• Next: Sample assignment >>
• Last Updated: Feb 19, 2024 1:14 PM
• URL: https://dkit.ie.libguides.com/harvard

• Plagiarism and grammar
• Citation guides

Cite a Book in Harvard

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper

Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

• Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
• Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
• Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
• Book: What have reviews said about it?
• What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
• Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
• Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
• Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
• Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
• Are there ads?
• When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
• Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
• Does the source even have a date?
• Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
• If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?
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• EXPLORE Random Article

How to Cite a Book Harvard Style

Last Updated: October 11, 2022

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 1,908 times.

If you're writing a research paper, you'll likely have some books that you want to use as sources. When using the Harvard style of referencing, you'll place an in-text citation for each sentence in which you discuss that book. The in-text citation points your reader to the full citation in the Reference List at the end of your paper. However, the format for your Reference List entry will be slightly different depending on whether you used a print book or an e-book. [1] X Research source

Reference List Entry: Print Books

• Example: Hasler, E 2018,
• If there are multiple authors, list all of them with the names separated by commas with an ampersand before the final author (such as "Winken, MJ, Blinken, FD & Nod, CT").
• If the author has a title, such as Jr, Sr, or III, include the title in your Reference List entry, but not in your in-text citation. [3] X Research source

• Example: Hasler, E 2018, The built environment ,

• Example: Hasler, E 2018, The built environment , Liverpool University Press, Liverpool.

Harvard Reference List Format

AuthorSurname, AA Year, Title of book in sentence case: Subtitle in sentence case , Publisher, Location.

Reference List Entry: E-books

• Example: Burroughs, ER 1918,
• If there are several authors, include all of their names in your Reference List entry, separated by commas. Before the last author's name, omit the final comma and simply include an ampersand (for example, "Wahlberg, DE, Wood, DW, McIntyre, JM, Knight, JR & Knight, JN").

• Example: Burroughs, ER 1918, The land that time forgot ,

• Example: Burroughs, ER 1918, The land that time forgot , e-book, Project Gutenberg, Salt Lake City,

• Example: Burroughs, ER 1918, The land that time forgot , e-book, Project Gutenberg, Salt Lake City, viewed 1 March 2020, http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/551.

Harvard Reference List Format — Online E-book

AuthorSurname, AA Year, Title of book in sentence case: Subtitle of book in sentence case , e-book, Publisher, Location, viewed Day-Month-Year, URL.

• Example: Burroughs, ER 1918, The land that time forgot , e-book, Dungan Books, Riverside, Kindle Edition.

Harvard Reference List Format — E-reader Edition

AuthorSurname, AA Year, Title of book in sentence case: Subtitle of book in sentence case , e-book, Publisher, Location, E-reader Edition.

In-Text Citations

• For example, you might write: "Iron Man and Batman send the message that anyone can be a superhero with adequate resources (Lane 2018)."
• If there are 2 or 3 authors, include all of their names in your in-text citation. However, if there are more than 3 authors, use the abbreviation "et al." after the first author's name. For example: (Smith et al. 2020). [12] X Research source

• For example, you might write: "Some argue it is inaccurate to say that Superman had superhuman powers because he literally wasn't human (Lane 2018, p. 42)."

Tip: E-books usually have page numbers. However, if there aren't any page numbers, use the chapter name or number to direct your reader to the material you're referencing.

• For example, you might write: "Lane (2018, p. 47) acknowledges that Superman had an otherworldly origin, but argues that he assumed human form on Earth."

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://student.unsw.edu.au/citing-different-sources
• ↑ http://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/harvard/books-and-e-books
• ↑ https://guides.lib.monash.edu/ld.php?content_id=8481587
• ↑ https://student.unsw.edu.au/harvard-referencing

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To be made up of:

• Author of the chapter/section.
• Year of publication (in round brackets).
• Title of chapter/section (in single quotation marks) 'in' plus author/editor of book.
• Title of book (in italics).
• Place of publication: publisher.
• Page reference.

In-text citation:

(Franklin, 2012, p.88)

Reference list:

Franklin, A.W. (2012). 'Management of the problem', in Smith, S.M. (ed.)  The maltreatment of children.  Lancaster: MTP, pp.83-95.

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Citation guides

All you need to know about citations

How to cite a book chapter in Harvard

To cite a chapter in a book in a reference entry in Harvard style include the following elements:

• Author(s) of the chapter: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J.) of up to three authors with the last name preceded by 'and'. For four authors or more include the first name followed by et al., unless your institution requires referencing of all named authors.
• Year of publication: Give the year in round brackets.
• Chapter title: Give the chapter title in single quotation marks.
• Editor(s) of the book: Add the last name, followed by the first letter of the first name, e.g. Smith, J. End with (ed.) or (eds.) respectively. If not available, omit this part.
• Title of the book: Book titles are italicized. Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Place of publication: List the city and the US state using the two-letter abbreviation. Spell out country names if outside of the UK or the USA.
• Publisher: Give the name of the publisher.
• Page numbers: Give the full page range or page number.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a chapter in a book in Harvard style:

Author(s) of the chapter . ( Year of publication ) ' Chapter title ', in Editor(s) of the book (eds.) Title of the book . Place of publication : Publisher , pp. Page numbers .

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the Harvard style guidelines in action:

A chapter in a book with one editor

Edgeworth, M . ( 2010 ) ' The Limerick Gloves ', in Trevor, W. (ed.) The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories . Oxford : Oxford UP , pp. 27-51 .

Emants, M . ( 2016 ) ' An Eccentric ', in Zwagerman, J. (ed.) The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories . London : Penguin , pp. 8-12 .

This citation style guide is based on the Cite Them Right (10 th edition) Harvard referencing guide.

More useful guides

• Victoria University Harvard referencing guide on books
• Harvard - Deakin University guide to referencing
• University College London - Referencing with Harvard

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Harvard apologizes for, removes creepy book binding made of human skin: 'Past failures'

Harvard University announced Wednesday that it removed the human skin binding from a gruesome book in its library. 

The book, called Des destinées de l’âme , was published in the 1880s by French author Arsène Houssaye. Its name means "The destinies of the soul" in English.

The university explained that the owner of the book, Dr. Ludovic Bouland, bound the book with a deceased woman's skin. She died in a hospital that he worked in, and did not consent to the binding.

Bouland was born in France in 1839. The identity of the woman and the year she died is unknown. Harvard is currently researching more information about the patient and Bouland, and pledges to "[give] a respectful disposition [to the remains] that seeks to restore dignity to the woman whose skin was used."

HARVARD HANDS OVER 1,500 DOCUMENTS TO HOUSE COMMITTEE IN ANTISEMITISM PROBE

Harvard Library has had the book in its collections since 1934, a year after Bouland died. The book had previously been made available "to anyone who asked for it," the library said.

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"In the course of its review, the library noted several ways in which its stewardship practices failed to meet the level of ethical standards to which it subscribes," the statement by Harvard Library reads.

"Library lore suggests that decades ago, students employed to page collections in Houghton’s stacks were hazed by being asked to retrieve the book without being told it included human remains."

Harvard also acknowledged that it had previously used the book as a sort of novelty.

HARVARD ANTISEMITISM TASK FORCE HEAD SKIPS PANEL ON ANTISEMITISM: 'NOT APPROPRIATE AT THIS TIME'

"In 2014, following the scientific analysis that confirmed the book to be bound in human skin, the library published posts on the Houghton blog that utilized a sensationalistic, morbid, and humorous tone that fueled similar international media coverage," the statement continued.

"Harvard Library acknowledges past failures in its stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being whose remains were used for its binding," the library added. "We apologize to those adversely affected by these actions."

Binding books with human skin is highly unusual, but not unheard of. The practice is called anthropodermic bibliopegy, and most of the surviving books with these covers were published in the 19th century.

Harvard University did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Original article source: Harvard apologizes for, removes creepy book binding made of human skin: 'Past failures'