How to Cite a Journal Article in Harvard Style

Reference / Bibliography

Williams, R. and Taylor, M. (2023) 'Sustainable business practices in the digital age', Journal of Business Ethics, 45(3), pp. 234-256. doi:10.1000/example.

In-text citation

(Williams and Taylor, 2023)

Source breakdown

author

Williams, R. and Taylor, M.

title

Sustainable business practices in the digital age

site

Journal of Business Ethics

year

2023

pages

234-256

url

doi:10.1000/example

Double quotes instead of single quotes on title

Harvard style uses single quotation marks around article titles, not double quotes. Double quotes are used in APA and IEEE, but Harvard follows the British convention of single quotes.

Missing "pp." prefix before page numbers

Harvard style requires the "pp." prefix before a page range and "p." before a single page. Omitting this prefix is a frequent formatting error.

Italicizing the article title instead of the journal name

In Harvard style, the journal name is italicized, not the article title. The article title goes in single quotes without italics.

How do I cite a journal article in Harvard referencing?

To cite a journal article in Harvard style, use this format: Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, volume(issue), pp. page–page. doi:number. Write the author's surname first, followed by initials with no spaces between them. The year goes in parentheses. Put the article title in single quotation marks and use sentence case. Italicize the journal name. Include the volume number, issue number in parentheses, and page range with "pp." prefix. If a DOI is available, add it at the end using the doi: prefix (not as a URL). For in-text citations, use (Author, Year) — for example, (Smith, 2024). For direct quotes, add the page number: (Smith, 2024, p. 45).

How do I cite an online journal article in Harvard?

For online journal articles with a DOI, use the standard format and add the DOI at the end: Author (Year) 'Title', Journal, vol(issue), pp. pages. doi:number. If the article has no DOI but is available online, replace the DOI with: Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year). The access date is mandatory in Harvard style for any online source. If the article is from a database like JSTOR or ProQuest, use the stable URL provided by the database rather than a session-specific link. Some universities also accept the database name instead of the URL — check your institution's specific Harvard guide for their preference.

What if there are no page numbers in a journal article?

For online-only articles that do not have traditional page numbers, you have several options in Harvard style. First, check if the journal assigns article numbers (common in open-access journals like PLOS ONE or Nature Communications) — if so, use the article number in place of page numbers: e12345. Second, if neither pages nor article numbers exist, simply omit the page element from the citation and end with the DOI or URL. For in-text citations where you need to reference a specific location, use paragraph numbers (para. 4), section headings (Discussion section), or other locators that help readers find the passage.