Harvard Style Guide

    Master Harvard citation style with comprehensive examples and guidelines for academic writing.

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    What is Harvard Style?
    Author-Date

    The Harvard referencing system

    Harvard Style is an author-date referencing system widely used across various academic disciplines. It emphasizes clear attribution through parenthetical citations and comprehensive reference lists, making it popular in business, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies.

    When to Use Harvard Style

    Harvard style provides a flexible, widely-recognized citation format that adapts well to diverse academic contexts. Its author-date system enables readers to quickly assess source authority and currency, making it particularly valuable for fields that balance current research with established scholarship.

    Primary Disciplines:

    Business Studies
    Economics
    Social Sciences
    Law
    Natural Sciences
    Health Sciences

    Harvard Citation Fundamentals

    In-Text Citation Format:

    Basic Format:(Author Year)
    With Page Number:(Author Year, p. 15)
    Multiple Authors:(Smith & Jones 2023)

    Reference List Format:

    Author, A.A. (Year) Title of work. Place: Publisher.

    Quick Reference Examples

    Book

    Smith, J.A. (2023) Research Methods in Business. London: Academic Press.

    Journal Article

    Brown, M.L. & Wilson, R.K. (2023) 'Digital transformation in healthcare',Journal of Medical Innovation, 45(2), pp. 123-145.

    Website

    Harvard University (2023) Academic Writing Guidelines. Available at: https://harvard.edu/writing (Accessed: 15 March 2023).

    Expand Your Harvard Knowledge

    Master Harvard Formatting →

    Learn document setup and general formatting requirements for Harvard style.

    Perfect Your Citations →

    Master Harvard's author-date system with proper formatting and placement.

    Cite Journal Articles →

    Learn to cite academic journals, research articles, and peer-reviewed sources.

    Cite Books & Textbooks →

    Format citations for books, textbooks, edited volumes, and monographs.

    Cite Conference Papers →

    Reference conference presentations, proceedings, and academic meetings.

    Build Your Bibliography →

    Create properly formatted reference lists following Harvard conventions.