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Harvard - Cite Them Right 13th - NICE

How to Cite NICE Guidelines in Harvard

NICE guidelines are common in UK nursing, medicine, public health, and social care assignments. Use the full NICE organisation name, guideline title, guidance number, URL, and access date.

NICE Guideline Harvard Reference Format

NICE Guideline:

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Year) Guideline title. NICE guideline NGxxx. Available at: URL (Accessed: day month year).

Technology Appraisal:

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Year) Title. Technology appraisal guidance TAxxx. Available at: URL (Accessed: day month year).

NICE Harvard Reference Examples

NICE Guideline

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2026) Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline NG136. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng136 (Accessed: 8 May 2026).

In-text: (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2026)

NICE Technology Appraisal

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2023) Semaglutide for managing overweight and obesity. Technology appraisal guidance TA875. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta875 (Accessed: 8 May 2026).

In-text: (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2023)

NICE Web Page

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (no date) 'About NICE guidance', NICE. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/our-programmes/nice-guidance (Accessed: 8 May 2026).

In-text: (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, no date)

Before You Submit

Check the guidance type

NICE uses guideline, technology appraisal, quality standard, and advice labels. Keep that label in the reference when it appears on the page.

Use the latest reviewed date shown

If the page shows an updated or last reviewed date, use that year unless your module handbook says otherwise.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite NICE guidelines in Harvard?

Use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as the author, then the year, guideline title in italics, the guideline number, URL, and access date.

Can I use NICE as the author?

Use the full organisation name in the reference list. In your writing, you can introduce the abbreviation once and then use NICE in later in-text references if your module allows it.

Where does the NICE guideline number go?

Place the guideline number after the title, for example NICE guideline NG136. Keep the number because it helps readers identify the exact clinical guideline.

Do NICE guidelines need an access date?

Yes. NICE guidance can be reviewed and updated, so include an access date when citing the online guideline.

Related Harvard Formats