Harvard Referencing Guide

How to Cite Conference Papers in Harvard Style

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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:

  • Author name
  • Conference date
  • Title of the paper
  • Title of the conference
  • Location of the conference
  • 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.

For example:

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).

For example:

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).