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Harvard Referencing Generator

Create accurate Harvard style references and in-text citations — the format preferred by UK and Australian universities.

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What is Harvard referencing?

Harvard referencing is an author–date citation system used widely in universities across the UK, Ireland, and Australia. In-text citations show the author and year — (Kahneman, 2011) — and a full alphabetical reference list appears at the end of the document.

Unlike APA or MLA, there is no single official Harvard manual; universities publish their own variants (such as Cite Them Right). This generator follows the most widely used Cite Them Right conventions — always double-check whether your university applies small local differences.

Harvard reference examples

Website
Chowdhury, R. (2024) The health benefits of walking every day. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-walking (Accessed: 7 August 2026).
Book
Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Journal article
Rasch, B. and Born, J. (2013) 'About sleep's role in memory', Physiological Reviews, 93(2), pp. 681–766.

Harvard style quick rules

Author names use initials (Kahneman, D.). The year sits in brackets right after the authors. Book and journal titles are italicized, while article titles take 'single quotation marks'. Online sources end with "Available at: URL (Accessed: date)". For four or more authors, cite the first author followed by et al.

Harvard in-text citation quick reference

SituationIn-text citation
One author(Kahneman, 2011)
Two authors(Rasch and Born, 2013)
Three authors(Brown, Smith and Lee, 2020)
Four or more(Brown et al., 2020)
Direct quote(Kahneman, 2011, p. 24)
No date(Smith, no date)

Formatting your reference list

Title the page Reference list (or References), alphabetize by author surname, and include every source cited in your text — and only those. Unlike APA, Harvard sources are often single-spaced with a blank line between entries; check your university's guide. Where APA writes (2nd ed.), Harvard writes 2nd edn, and access dates are written out in full: (Accessed: 8 August 2026).

Frequently asked questions

Is Harvard referencing the same at every university?
No — Harvard is a family of similar styles rather than one official standard. This generator follows the widely used Cite Them Right conventions; check your university's guide for minor local variations.
What does a Harvard in-text citation look like?
Author and year in brackets: (Kahneman, 2011). For a direct quote add the page: (Kahneman, 2011, p. 24). For four or more authors use the first author plus et al.
Do Harvard references need an access date?
Online sources normally include one: Available at: URL (Accessed: 7 August 2026). Print books and journal articles do not need an access date.

Need APA instead? Use our main APA citation generator, or browse the citation guides.