How to Cite Sources in Harvard Citation Format

Are you wondering how to cite sources using the Harvard citation style? You have stumbled onto the right page. This complete guide on how to use the Harvard citation format will teach you how to use in-text and reference list citations. The guide is easy to follow so you don’t have to worry about how to use Harvard format.
Without further ado, let’s start learning.

The Types of Harvard Citation Style

There are two types of Harvard citation styles namely in-text citations and reference lists.
In-text citations appear in the body of the document and consist of a section of the bibliographical information. Reference lists, on the other hand, are included at the end of the document and contain a list of all sources used to compile the document.

Harvard Reference List

As mentioned above, a reference list is included at the end of the document and contains a list of credible sources used to compile the document. The list comprises information gathered from the sources such as date of publication, author’s name, the title of the source, etc.
Here are the rules for writing a Harvard reference list. Students can also use an online Harvard reference citation generator to make work easier.
It should be included on a separate page at the end of the document.
It must be written in alphabetical order by the author. If there is no author, it must be organized by source title devoid of terms like a, an, or the.
When referencing multiple works of the same author, the reference list is organized by date, otherwise organize the list by the title with a letter (a,b,c, etc.) following the date.
A reference list must be double spaced.
It must have full references for all in-text references consulted.

Harvard In-Text Citations

Harvard in-text citations are included with the use of a quote or paraphrased text obtained from other people’s works.
As mentioned above, in-text citations appear within the body of the document and are usually shorter than references. When using in-text citations, you start with the author’s or editor’s surname, the year the information was published, and page numbers.

Here is an example of how to write a Harvard in-text citation:

Norman (2002, p. 160) states… Or (Norman, 2002, p. 160)
In this case, p. refers to a single page while pp. refers to a range of pages.

Citing Two or Three Authors

To cite two or three authors in Harvard format, include all surnames as shown below:
Norman, Richard and Thomson (2002, p. 2002) states… Or (Norman, Richard and Thomson, 2002, p. 2002)

Citing Four or More Authors

When citing four or more authors in Harvard format, you include the author’s surname followed by ‘et al’ as shown below:
Norman et all (2002, p. 160) states… Or (Norman et all, 2002, 160)

When There is No Author

In case there is no author you can include the organization that published the document in the place of the author. In case there is no author and organization, including the title in italics.
( A complete step by step guide to Harvard citation, 2002, pp. 160-162)

When Citing Multiple Works by The Same Author in the Same Year

When citing multiple works from the same author published in the same year, allocate a letter (a,b,c, etc.) in the works after the year.
Example: Norman, 2002a, p. 160) or Norman (2002b, p. 160)