How to Cite Films in Harvard Style

To cite a film in Harvard style you will need the following:

Film Title (Year of distribution) Directed by Director Initial(s). Surname [Film]. Place of distribution: Production company.

Citizen Kane (1941) Directed by O. Welles [Film]. Los Angeles: RKO Radio Pictures.

If the film was viewed on DVD or Blu-ray, the format is as follows:

Film Title (Year of distribution) Directed by Director Initial(s). Surname [DVD/Blu-ray]. Place of distribution: Production company.

Bridesmaids (2011) Directed by P. Feig [Blu-ray]. Los Angeles: Apatow Productions.

If you viewed a film on a streaming service like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Mubi, or on a catch-up service like BBC iPlayer or All 4, the format is as follows:

Film Title (Year of distribution) Directed by Director Initial(s). Surname. Available at: Name of Streaming Service (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Phantom Thread (2017) Directed by P. T. Anderson. Available at: Netflix (Accessed: 25 April 2022).

How to Write a Reference List in Harvard Style

A reference list is a formatted list of the sources that contributed to the creation of your academic writing. This list should be arranged alphabetically by author surname and located at the end of your work.

What is the difference between a bibliography and a reference list?

A reference list should include all the sources that are directly cited in your text, while a bibliography should cite all sources that contributed to your work, including background reading and descriptive notes.

Different organisations may require a bibliography or a reference list, so be sure to check with your institution before you begin your academic projects.

How to Cite Artworks in Harvard Style

The rules for citing an artwork found in a museum or a museum website differ substantially from those for an image found in a secondary source like a book or blog post.

When citing an artwork found in a museum or a museum website you will need the following:

Medium (“oil on canvas”/“graphite on paper”, etc.)

Link to artwork on the museum/gallery website (if viewed online)

Format for citing artwork in a gallery or museum

Surname, Initial(s). (Date) Title [Medium]. Museum/Gallery, City.

Pollock, J. (1946) Eyes in the Heat [Oil and enamel on canvas]. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

To cite an artwork viewed online, the format is as follows:

Surname, Initial(s). (Date) Title [Medium]. Museum/Gallery, City. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Constable, J. (1821)The Hay Wain [Oil on canvas]. The National Gallery, London. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain (Accessed: 9 November 2020).

To cite a museum or gallery exhibition, you will need the following:

Exhibition Title (Year) [Exhibition]. Museum/Gallery, City. Date(s) of exhibition.

Modernism in Miniature (2022-2023) [Exhibition]. Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena. 12 August 2022-9 January 2023.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms (2022-2023) [Exhibition]. Tate Modern, London. 18 May 2021-11 June 2023.

Format for citing an individual artwork in an exhibition

Artist Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of artwork [Medium] in Title of Exhibition [Exhibition]. Gallery/Museum, City. Date(s) of exhibition.

Klee, P. (1922) Park [Colour collotype on laid paper] in Modernism in Miniature [Exhibition]. Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena. 12 August 2022-9 January 2023.

How to Cite Images in Harvard Style

People can be protective of their images and take badly to finding them used online without permission. Thankfully, the fair use doctrine allows both students and researchers to use copyrighted images without first having to acquire permission. However, the fair use doctrine does not protect students from plagiarism, therefore images must still be cited appropriately.

To cite an image it is important to include the following:

Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Image Title [Description of media]. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Gustafsson, J. (2005) Dog [Photograph]. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunden/8545183695/in/photolist-e27ipn-aiTNYw-4CLJtR-XbiSoH-7QFV6c-SMQ3kL-wAuyJ6-RED8ts-25hDpuo-bFDKMM-btkyiC-p46xHE-RiaSLE-bFDKn4-pzTULx-8T3nXL-fVduaQ-aPR1RT-SLVKhH-P7r48L-7QKde3-hYEo5p-M82MKA-9t1T2c-K7EPSk-CED5W3-FAAAud-8DRPes-qrBkfC-4CR1Mj-7QKdnL-9SErb6-Z7waXA-232ok4m-h3gL6w-22hBtTh-6EuENc-opGBxD-du329G-QHraGc-57vwQ7-868hPT-ZMq6mw-24yqbT6-gCur4i-9SHj3q-25BQts4-rWEZPy-22de8h5-aJfzMn (Accessed: 7 July 2019).

Sato, A. (2010) Doge [Photograph]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge_(meme)#/media/File:Original_Doge_meme.jpg (Accessed: 13 December 2021).

How to Write In-Text Citations in Harvard Style

In-text citations are brief references made within the body of your academic work. These citations enable readers to quickly identify the sources you have referenced without disrupting the flow of the sentences in which they appear. In-text citations provide all the information needed to identify the full reference in the reference list at the end of your assignment.

How to use in-text citations: Harvard style

There are two main types of in-text citations, parenthetical and narrative citations. Both require you to cite the author’s surname, date of publication, and page numbers (when quoting directly from a source).

Parenthetical citations appear in parenthesis directly after the quote or concept that has been paraphrased. The author’s surname, the year of publication, and page numbers (where relevant) are each separated by a comma.

Parenthetical citation format: Harvard style 

(Author’s surname, year of publication, page number/numbers)

“Drawing is now used to convey a technical or mechanical language of industries and technology” (Dagoon, 1995, p. 48).

Researchers have argued that chromosomal rearrangements are the most important karyotype changes in mammals for thinking about the role of chromosomes in speciation (Pavlova and Searle, 2018).

When referencing a quote found on a single page use “p.”. Use “pp.” followed by the range of pages (“pp. 89-94”) when citing multiple pages.

If you mention an author’s surname in the body of your essay – “Smith argues that” – this requires you to produce a narrative in-text citation.

For narrative citations, place the date of publication in parenthesis after the author’s name.

Kierkegaard (1843) posited that God is revealed mysteriously to each and every person.

For an in-text citation with two authors, separate each author’s surname with “and”.

When citing a source with three authors, separate the first and second author’s surname with a comma, and the second and third author’s surname with “and”.

When citing a source with four or more authors, use the Latin term “et al.,” (meaning “and others”).

These abbreviations are only to be used for in-text citations. For your reference list, you are required to provide the names of all authors.

How to cite corporate authors in Harvard style

When citing a corporate or group author for the first time, provide their name in full.

For any subsequent citations, you do not need to write out the corporate author’s name in full: just use an abbreviation.

Some sources may not have a clear publication date. For sources without a date, place “n.d.” (short for “no date”) after the author’s surname.

How to Cite Newspapers in Harvard Style

Academic referencing is becoming increasingly complex as students are leveraging new sources of information to strengthen their research.

Only a few decades ago, students would limit their research to books, academic journals, and printed news articles. Nowadays, with the emergence of online search engines and digital media, online news outlets have become significant sources for research projects.

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of Article’, Newspaper, Day Month of publication, page number(s).

Sample, I. (2014) ‘Why an octopus’s suckers don’t stick its arms together’, The Guardian, 16 May, p. 17.

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of Article’, Newspaper, Day Month of publication. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Schwartz, M. (2020) ‘Stay Safe, Justice Ginsburg’, New York Times, 20 July. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/opinion/ruth-bader-ginsburg-health.html (Accessed: 12 February 2022).

Strauss, B. (2018) ‘Ted Cruz’s Basketball Charm Offensive’, The Atlantic, 12 August. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/ted-cruzs-basketball-charm-offensive/567104/ (Accessed: 4 March 2022).

Billen, A. (2019) ‘David Cameron Interview: Boris, Brexit and the Referendum’, The Times, 13 September. Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-cameron-interview-boris-johnson-brexit-and-the-referendum-9gkxqghv9 (Accessed: 12 December 2021).

How to Cite Youtube Videos in Harvard Style

Aside from the cat videos, beauty vlogs and viral challenges, YouTube can be a powerful source of knowledge and numerous universities, research centres, thinktanks and educators regularly produce and distribute great content on YouTube.

To cite a YouTube video you will need the following:

Name of the account that published the video

Name of account that published the video (Year video was uploaded) Title of the Video. Day Month the video was uploaded. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

CNN Business (2018) These are the most confusing questions Congress asked Zuckerberg. 24 January. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHckZCxdRkA (Accessed: 17 March 2021).

World Economic Forum (2019) Innovation Skills and the Future of Jobs. 3 November. Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgI_z3ttFWs (Accessed: 23 May 2020).

How to Cite a Website in Harvard Style

Referencing has become increasingly complex as students are leveraging new sources of information to back and strengthen their academic arguments.

A few decades ago, students would limit their research to books, academic journals and the written press. Nowadays, with the rise and democratization of the online search engines and digital media, Google, Wikipedia and online news outlets have become the first steps in a student’s research process.

Citing websites is now a significant part of referencing.

Students are required to follow Harvard’s traditional author-date structure (link) and are also required to display the website title, an indicator that the article was found online (“[online ]”), the website name and website URL.

We recommend students use the following structure to cite websites.

Last name, initial (Year). “Page Title”. [online ] Website name. Available at: URL

Hasen, R. (2020) “Bring on the 28th Amendment”. [online] New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/opinion/voting-rights.html

Lowrey, A. (2020) “Close the Racial Gap with Baby Bonds”. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/close-racial-wealth-gap-baby-bonds/613525/

Grant, J. (2020) “Powell Has Become the Fed’s Dr. Feelgood” [online] The Wall Street Journal. Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/powell-has-become-the-feds-dr-feelgood-11593370222?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

How to Cite a TV Show in Harvard Style

Citing an episode of a television show on Blue-ray or DVD

To cite an episode of a TV show on Blue-ray or DVD you will need the following:

Format for citing an episode of a television show on Blue-ray or DVD: Harvard style

‘Episode Title’ (Year of original broadcast) TV Show Title In Title of compilation or box-set [DVD/Blue-ray] Place of distribution: Distribution Company.

‘Torn Between Two Lovers’ (2018) Modern Family In Modern Family: The Complete Tenth Season [DVD] Los Angeles: 20th Century Fox Television.

Citing an episode of a television show on a streaming service

If you are citing an episode viewed on a streaming service, the format is as follows:

‘Episode Title’ (Year of original release) TV Show Title, Season number, episode number. Available at: Name of streaming service (Accessed: Day Month Year).

‘Torn Between Two Lovers’ (2018) Modern Family, Season 10, episode 4. Available at: NOW TV (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

How to Cite Podcasts in Harvard Style

To cite a podcast in Harvard style you will need the following:

Format for citing a podcast: Harvard style 

Host Surname, Initial(s). (Air date/dates). Podcast title [Podcast]. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Dunn, G. and Raskin, A. (2019-present).Just Between Us[Podcast]. Available at:https://foreverdogpodcasts.com/podcasts/just-between-us/(Accessed: 4 June 2021).

Format for citing an individual episode of a podcast 

Host Surname, Initial(s). (Air date) ‘Episode Title’, Podcast Title [Podcast]. Day Month posted. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Cole, S. (2020) ‘Act Three: Outbreak Breakout’, This American Life [Podcast]. 27 March. Available at: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/698/the-test/act-three-13

Martin, A. (2022) ‘A Mother’s Wild, Extravagant Love’, Modern Love [Podcast]. 16 March. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/podcasts/modern-love-podcast-a-mothers-wild-extravagant-love.html (Accessed: 7 April 2022).

How to Cite Speeches in Harvard Style

Students should not cite the speech in itself, but should cite the location where they found the speech. If the speech was found in a book, students should cite the book. And if the speech was found online, you should include the blog, website, podcast or video in the reference list.

How to Cite Music and Recordings in Harvard Style

Whether you’re looking to cite the latest hit by Drake or an album of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, we’ve got you covered.

Citing a single song or track on CD or vinyl 

To cite a single song or track on CD or vinyl you will need the following:

Format for citing a single song or track on CD or vinyl

Artist Name (Year of publication) ‘Title of Song’, Title of Album [Format]. Place of Publication: Record Label.

Michael Jackson (1982) ‘Billie Jean’, Thriller [Vinyl]. New York: Epic Records.

Format for citing an album on CD or vinyl

When citing an entire album you no longer need to include any track information.

The format for citing an album on CD or vinyl is as follows:

Artist Name (Year of publication) Title of Album [Format]. Place of Publication: Record Label.

Beyoncé (2016) Lemonade [CD]. New York: Columbia Records.

Pink Floyd (1979) The Wall [Vinyl]. New York: Columbia Records.

Citing music recordings on digital formats

When citing recordings on digital formats you no longer need to include information regarding the place of publication or record label. Instead, you must include a URL to your streaming/digital music platform source.

Format for citing a single track from a digital source

Artist Name (Year of publication) ‘Title of Song’, Title of Album. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Nicki Minaj (2012) ‘Getting Paid’,Ghetto Barbie. Available at: https://www.last.fm/music/Nicki+Minaj/Ghetto+Barbie/Getting+Paid (Accessed: 19 September 2020).

Format for citing an album from a digital source

Artist Name (Year of publication) Title of Album. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Bon Jovi (2000)Crush. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/album/0Q9SljCrM0CL0bR23MuP69 (Accessed: 9 January 2022).

How to Cite Court Cases in Harvard Style

Students are not required to cite every single email they have received as they write an essay or research paper. It is however a good idea to mention valuable emails you have received, such as the ones containing vital information sent by your instructor. It shows that you are serious about referencing and that you value their opinion.

We recommend you use the following structure to cite emails:

Sender’s last name, initial. (Year). Subject line of Email. [email]

Holding, J. (2017). “Graduation Speech” [email]

Franz, D. (2019). “Outboarding Process, Part 1” [email]

Gabriel, J. (2020) “Course Highlights” [email]

How to Cite Theses and Reports in Harvard Style

Students should consult academic theses and dissertations when writing their own academic papers. These can be found in student libraries and online archives and must be properly referenced to safeguard students from accusations of plagiarism.

To cite a printed thesis or dissertation you will need the following information:

Format for citing a printed thesis: Harvard style 

Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title. Award and type of qualification. Awarding body.

Robak, M. (2016) Practicing What We’re Taught: An Analysis of Pre-Clinical and Clinical Medical Education of Compassionate Care at Harvard Medical School. PhD thesis. Harvard University.

Delor, P. (2015) Technology, Consumerism and Development: A Study of Collaborative Consumerism and Market Relations in Developing Countries. Master’s thesis. Oxford University.

If a thesis is available online, in addition to the information above, you will also need to include the publication site of the thesis and the date on which you viewed the thesis.

Format for citing a thesis available online: Harvard style  

Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title. Award and type of qualification. Awarding body. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Kyei-Nimakoh, M. (2017) Management and Referral of Obstetric Complications: A Study in the Upper East Region of Ghana. PhD thesis. Victoria University. Available at: https://vuir.vu.edu.au/35051/1/KYEI-NIMAKOH%20Minerva-

Thesis_nosignatures.pdf (Accessed: 15 November 2018).

How to Cite Conference Papers in Harvard Style

A conference paper is a written document that researchers prepare when presenting their work orally at academic conferences and workshops.

To cite a conference paper in your reference list, you must include the following:

Link to online presentation (where available)

Format for citing a conference paper: Harvard style 

Surname, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Conference paper title’, Conference Title. Location of conference, Date of conference.

Armstrong, D., Fogarty, G. and Dingsdag, D. (2007) ‘Scales measuring characteristics of small business information systems’, Proceedings of Research, Relevance and Rigour: Coming of Age: 18th Australasian Conference on Information Systems. Toowoomba, Australia, 5-7 December.

Winstone, N. and Boud, D. (2017) ‘Supporting students’ engagement with feedback: the adoption of student-focused feedback practices in the UK and Australia’, Annual Research Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education. Newport, Wales, 6-8 December.

If the conference paper is available online, the format is as follows:

Surname, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Conference paper title’, Conference Title. Location of conference, Date of conference. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Godfrey, W. R. (2017) ‘Luther on the Psalms’, Luther Today. Wittenberg, Germany, 11 August. Available at: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/conferences/luther-today-2017-regional-conference/luther-psalms (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

How to Cite Religious Texts in Harvard Style

To cite a religious text you will need the following:

A quick tip: religious works are generally treated as having no author.

Format for citing a religious text: Harvard style

Name of religious text. Chapter/Surah/Ayah/Verse number. Edition Title(Date). Publisher location: Publisher.

The Bible. Matthew 4:1. The Bible: Authorized King James Version(2017). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Qur’an. 14:33. The Holy Qur’an. Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (2000). Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited.

How to Cite a Blog in Harvard Style

With modern thinkers, leaders and academics taking to their computers to share their work, blogs have become credible sources for research. Students are encouraged to consult academic blogs to discover new and compelling data that has yet to be published as a book or as an article in an academic journal.

To cite a blog post you will need the following:

Format for citing a blog post: Harvard style

Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of blog post’, Blog Title, Day Month of post. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Bhatt, G. (2022) ‘Rethinking Fiscal Policy and Debt for a Post-Pandemic World’,International Monetary Fund Blogs, 2 March. Available at: https://blogs.imf.org/2022/03/02/rethinking-fiscal-policy-and-debt-for-a-post-pandemic-world/ (Accessed: 22 March 2022).

Reich, R. (2022) ‘Putin and Trump Have Convinced Me I Was Wrong About the 21stCentury’,Robert Reich, 13 March. Available at: https://robertreich.org/post/678643824199876608 (Accessed: 27 March 2022).

How to Cite Journal Articles in Harvard Style

To cite a journal article you will need the following:

Format for citing a journal article: Harvard style 

Surname, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Article Title’, Journal Name, Volume (Issue), page range. doi: (where available)

MacEachern, D. (1950) ‘Wilkie Collins and British Law’, Nineteenth-Century Fiction, 5(2), pp. 121–139.

Theroux, A. (1990) ‘Henry James’s Boston’, The Iowa Review, 20(2), pp. 158–165. doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/0021-065X.3902

How to Cite a Book in Harvard Style

When citing a book with a single author, invert the author’s name – placing the surname first – followed by a comma and the author’s initials.

For example, a book by David Ricardo would be cited in the reference list as:

A book by Louisa May Alcott would be listed as:

Its edition details – “2nd edn”/“3rd edn”/“4th edn” etc.

Format for citing books with a single author: Harvard style

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title. Edition details. Place of publication: Publisher.

Kuhn, T. (2012) The Structure of Scientific Revolution. 4th edn. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

When citing a book with two authors, use a period after the first author’s initials, followed by “and” before the last author’s surname.

Format for citing two authors: Harvard style 

Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title. Edition details. Place of publication: Publisher.

McQueen, R. A. and Knussen, C. (2006) An Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Gravelle, H. and Rees, R. (1981) Microeconomics. London: Longman.

When citing a book with three authors, follow the first author’s initial(s) with a period and a comma, then after the second author’s initial(s) place a period followed by “and” before the final author’s surname and initial(s).

White, K., Williams, B. and Willig, L. (2016)The Forgotten Room. New York: Berkley Publishing.

When citing a book with four or more authors in your reference list, follow the format listed above, remembering to place a period followed by “and” to separate the last two author names.

For in-text citations, when referring to a source with four or more authors, use the Latin term “et al.,” (meaning “and others”).

This abbreviation is only to be used for in-text citations. For your reference list, you are required to name all authors.

Citing chapters in edited books and anthologies is a tad more complicated, as you must include the chapter’s author(s) and the book’s editor(s).

In an edited book, the title of the chapter is not italicized. Only the title of the book should be italicised. This helps distinguish between the two titles.

Format for citing chapters in edited books: Harvard style

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor Surname, Initial(s). (ed./eds.) Book Title. Edition (where relevant). Place of publication: Publisher, Page numbers.

Rosenfeld, J. and Laird, J. (2016) ‘Unions and Poverty’, in Brady, D. and Burton, L. (eds.)The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Poverty. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 800-819.

Harvard Referencing Guide