Harvard · Standard
How to Cite a Book in Harvard Style
Complete Harvard referencing guide for books. Examples for authors, editions, and e-books.
Quick Answer
To cite a book in Harvard referencing style, use: Author, A.A. (Year) Title of book. Edition. Place: Publisher. Write the author's surname first, followed by initials with no spaces between them. Place the year in parentheses. Italicize the book title. Include the edition using the abbreviation "edn." if the book is not a first edition (e.g., 5th edn.). Harvard, like Chicago, still requires the city of publication — unlike APA 7 and MLA 9 which dropped this. Use a colon between the city and the publisher name. For in-text citations, use (Author, Year): (Cottrell, 2019). For direct quotes, add the page number: (Cottrell, 2019, p. 45). With 2-3 authors, list all names with "and". For 4+ authors, use the first author followed by et al. Example: Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press. For e-books, add [eBook] after the title and "Available at: URL." CiteMe pulls book data from Google Books, OpenAlex, and CrossRef to create Harvard-formatted references instantly.
Quick answer: To cite a book in Harvard (Standard), use this template: Author, A.A. (Year) Title of book. Edition. Place: Publisher.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
In-text citation
(Cottrell, 2019)
Source breakdown
- author
- Cottrell, S.
- title
- The study skills handbook
- edition
- 5th edn.
- location
- London
- publisher
- Red Globe Press
- year
- 2019
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Tips
- ✓Italicize book titles
- ✓Include edition if not the first
- ✓Use "edn." abbreviation for edition
- ✓Include place of publication
Common mistakes
- ⚠Omitting edition information
- ⚠Forgetting place of publication
- ⚠Not italicizing titles
- ⚠Using full "edition" instead of "edn."
Before & after
Missing edition information
Wrong
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. London: Red Globe Press.
Correct
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
When a book is not the first edition, Harvard style requires you to include the edition using the "edn." abbreviation. Omitting this is one of the most common Harvard book citation errors.
Missing place of publication
Wrong
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. Red Globe Press.
Correct
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
Harvard style requires the city of publication before the publisher name, separated by a colon. Unlike APA 7, Harvard has not dropped the location requirement.
Using "edition" instead of "edn."
Wrong
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edition. London: Red Globe Press.
Correct
Cottrell, S. (2019) The study skills handbook. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
Harvard style uses the abbreviation "edn." for edition, not the full word. This is a specific Harvard convention that differs from other styles.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a book with multiple authors in Harvard?
For 2-3 authors, list all names with "and". For 4+, use first author "et al." Example: Smith, J. et al. (2024).
How do I cite an e-book in Harvard style?
Add "[eBook]" after the title and include the URL or database name: Title [eBook]. Available at: URL.
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Related resources
Other Harvard guides
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