Harvard Reference List

    Create comprehensive reference lists following Harvard format guidelines

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    Published: September 15, 2025

    Reference List Basics

    The reference list provides complete publication details for every source cited in your work. It appears at the end of your document under the heading "Reference List".

    Key Guidelines:

    • • Arrange entries alphabetically by author surname
    • • Use hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented)
    • • Single-space within entries, double-space between
    • • Include only sources cited in your text
    • • Use sentence case for titles

    Books

    Format:

    Author, A.A. (Year) Title of book. Edition (if not first). Place of publication: Publisher.

    Examples:

    Smith, J. (2023) Climate change and society. 2nd edn. London: Academic Press.

    Brown, M. and Jones, K. (2022) Environmental science fundamentals. New York: Science Publishers.

    Journal Articles

    Format:

    Author, A.A. (Year) 'Article title', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. page range.

    Example:

    Wilson, R. (2023) 'The impact of renewable energy on carbon emissions', Environmental Research Journal, 45(3), pp. 123-140.

    Websites

    Format:

    Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of webpage', Website Name. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

    Example:

    Climate Council (2023) 'Understanding global warming', Climate Council Australia. Available at: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/global-warming (Accessed: 15 March 2023).

    Multiple Authors

    Two Authors

    Smith, J. and Brown, M. (2023)...

    Three or More Authors

    Smith, J., Brown, M. and Wilson, K. (2023)...

    💡 Note

    Unlike in-text citations, list all authors in the reference list regardless of number.

    Sample Reference List

    Here's an example of a properly formatted Harvard reference list:

    Reference List

    Brown, M. (2022) Environmental policy in the 21st century. London: Green Publishers.

    Climate Council (2023) 'Latest climate data', Climate Council Australia. Available at: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/data (Accessed: 20 March 2023).

    Smith, J. and Wilson, K. (2023) 'Renewable energy adoption rates', Energy Policy Journal, 78(2), pp. 45-62.

    Wilson, R., Jones, M. and Davis, L. (2023) Sustainable development goals. 3rd edn. New York: Academic Press.