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Harvard Citation Generator
Paste a DOI or link and get a correct Harvard reference plus the in-text citation in seconds. Free for students — no sign-up needed to try it.
What a Harvard reference looks like
Harvard is an author–date system rather than a single rulebook: each university publishes its own variant, which is why two Harvard guides rarely agree on every comma. It is the default style at most Swedish universities and across the UK, prized for keeping the source visible right in the sentence.
Reference list entry
Berg, L. (2023). Climate adaptation in coastal cities. Journal of Urban Studies, 18(2), pp. 101–118.
In-text citation
(Berg 2023)
Key Harvard rules
- In-text citations show author and year, usually without a comma: (Berg 2023).
- Four or more authors are shortened to the first author plus "et al." (Swedish guides use "m.fl.").
- When no year exists, write "n.d." — Swedish variants write "u.å." (utan år).
- The reference list is alphabetical by surname; titles of journals and books are italicized.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write an in-text citation in Harvard?
Harvard cites in the sentence itself, like this: (Berg 2023)
What does a Harvard reference look like?
A journal article in Harvard style is formatted like this: Berg, L. (2023). Climate adaptation in coastal cities. Journal of Urban Studies, 18(2), pp. 101–118.
What are the main formatting rules in Harvard?
In-text citations show author and year, usually without a comma: (Berg 2023). Four or more authors are shortened to the first author plus "et al." (Swedish guides use "m.fl."). When no year exists, write "n.d." — Swedish variants write "u.å." (utan år). The reference list is alphabetical by surname; titles of journals and books are italicized.
Which subjects use Harvard style?
Harvard is most common in business, economics and most Swedish and UK university programmes. Always check your course guide, since departments sometimes use their own variant.
Which Harvard edition does CitApp follow?
CitApp follows the no single official edition — universities publish their own guides.
Is the Harvard citation generator free?
Yes. You can generate Harvard citations free of charge — paste a DOI or URL above and copy the result. A free account saves unlimited sources to projects, and the full reference list is free for everyone.
Keep every source organized
Save sources to projects, drag them into chapters and export a finished reference list. Free to start, no credit card.