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Citation Generator

Harvard Citation Generator

Harvard ReferencingStandard

Popular in UK and Australian universities.

How it works

1

Search for your source

Type a topic, DOI, ISBN, or URL into the search bar. CiteMe searches real academic databases to find your source.

2

Format in Harvard

Your citation is automatically formatted in Harvard (Standard) with correct punctuation, italics, and ordering.

3

Copy and use

Copy the formatted reference and in-text citation directly into your paper or export to BibTeX/RIS.

Generate Harvard citations now

Open the Harvard generator to search real academic databases and copy a ready-to-use reference in seconds.

Harvard resources

Harvard Citation Format

General format:

Author (Year) <em>Title</em>. Place: Publisher.

Quick rules

  • Use single quotes for article titles (UK convention)
  • Write "and" between authors, not "&"
  • Include "Available at:" and "(Accessed: Date)" for online sources
  • Use "edn." for edition (3rd edn.) not "ed."
  • Dates use day month year format (15 March 2024)

Harvard Citation Examples

Book

Smith, J.D. (2024) Understanding social research. 3rd edn. London: Sage.
In-text: (Smith, 2024)

Journal Article

Johnson, M.R. and Brown, L.M. (2024) 'Student engagement in online learning', British Journal of Education, 52(1), pp. 34–51.
In-text: (Johnson and Brown, 2024)

Website

NHS (2024) Mental health support services. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health (Accessed: 15 March 2024).
In-text: (NHS, 2024)

About Harvard (Harvard Referencing)

Harvard referencing uses an author-date system with in-text citations and a reference list. Unlike APA or Chicago, Harvard is not governed by a single manual — different universities publish their own guides. In the UK and Australia, "Cite Them Right" (Pears & Shields) is the most widely adopted Harvard guide.

Popular in UK and Australian universities. CiteMe supports Harvard with automatic formatting from real scholarly metadata — no manual entry or guesswork required.

Frequently asked questions about Harvard

Is Harvard the same as APA?

No. Both are author-date systems, but they differ in formatting. Harvard uses single quotes for titles, "and" for authors, British date format, and "Available at:" for URLs. APA uses italics differently and ampersands (&).

Which Harvard guide should I follow?

Check your university guidelines. In the UK, most use "Cite Them Right" by Pears & Shields. Australian universities often have their own Harvard guides. CiteMe follows Cite Them Right by default.

What is Harvard citation style?

Harvard (Harvard Referencing) is a citation format used in academic writing. The Standard provides rules for formatting references, in-text citations, and bibliographies for sources like books, journals, websites, and more.

How do I cite a website in Harvard?

Use the CiteMe Harvard generator above — paste the URL and get a correctly formatted citation instantly. Harvard website citations typically include the author, title, website name, publication date, and URL.

Is the CiteMe Harvard generator free?

Yes — CiteMe offers free Harvard citations on the free tier. Pro users get unlimited citations, all Harvard formatting features, and export to BibTeX and RIS.

Other citation styles