Mistakes Checklist
Common Harvard Journal Article Citation Mistakes
Published studies report citation/reference error rates between 25-54%. Use this page to catch the most frequent formatting failures before submission.
Top mistakes to avoid
- ⚠Using double quotes instead of single
- ⚠Italicizing article titles
- ⚠Forgetting "pp." before pages
- ⚠Omitting volume and issue numbers
Fix checklist
- ✓Put article titles in single quotes
- ✓Italicize journal names
- ✓Use "pp." before page numbers
- ✓Include DOI when available
Frequently asked questions
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.
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