When to Use Harvard Style
Harvard referencing is an author-date system widely used in UK universities and internationally. It's particularly common in business, economics, and some sciences. Note: There are multiple variations of Harvard style; always check your institution's specific guidelines.
๐ Common Fields Using Harvard:
- Business & Management
- Economics
- Social Sciences (UK)
- Some Natural Sciences
- Health Sciences
Quick Reference - Common Source Types
๐ Book
Example:
Kotler, P. (2024) Marketing management. London: Pearson.
๐ Journal Article
Example:
Porter, M. (2024) 'Competitive strategy in global markets', Harvard Business Review, 98(3), pp. 45-67.
๐ Website
Example:
BBC News (2024) Global economic outlook. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business (Accessed: 15 March 2024).
In-Text Citations
Basic Citation
(Author Year)
Example: (Kotler 2024)
With Page Number
(Author Year, p. page)
Example: (Kotler 2024, p. 45)
Two Authors
(Author and Author Year)
Example: (Smith and Jones 2024)
Three or More Authors
(Author et al. Year)
Example: (Smith et al. 2024)
Multiple Sources
(Author Year; Author Year)
Example: (Kotler 2024; Porter 2024)
Direct Quote
According to Kotler (2024, p. 23) "direct quotation".
Reference List Formatting Guidelines
- โTitle: "References" or "Reference List" centered at top
- โOrder: Alphabetical by author's surname
- โHanging Indent: Second and subsequent lines indented
- โSpacing: Single-space within entries, double between
- โAuthor Names: Surname, Initials. (no full first names)
- โItalics: Italicize titles of books and journals
- โTitles: Use sentence case for article/chapter titles
Common Mistakes to Avoid
โ Using Full First Names
Wrong: Kotler, Philip (2024)
Right: Kotler, P. (2024)
โ Forgetting "Available at:" for Websites
Wrong: BBC (2024) Title. URL
Right: BBC (2024) Title. Available at: URL
โ Using Commas Instead of "and" for Two Authors
Wrong: (Smith, Jones 2024)
Right: (Smith and Jones 2024)
โ Not Including Access Date for Websites
Wrong: Ending reference without (Accessed: date)
Right: (Accessed: 15 March 2024)
๐ Special Cases
No Author
Use organization name or title
(BBC 2024) or (Report title 2024)
No Date
Use "n.d." (no date)
(Smith n.d.)
Same Author, Same Year
Add letters a, b, c
(Smith 2024a) (Smith 2024b)
Secondary Sources
Cite both original and source you read
(Smith, cited in Jones 2024)
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