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Harvard Referencing - The Basics

Introduction to the Harvard Referencing style

Referencing a Book

The template for the in-text citation is (Author, Date).
- (Note: also, include the page number if it is a direct quote)

The template for the reference list
is Author. (Year published) 
Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

In-text citation 
‘More people create a greater demand for food, energy, water and other resources, driving pressures on the natural environment’ (Juniper, 2016, p. 16). 

Reference list 
Juniper, T. (2016) What’s really happening to our planet?. New York, NY: DK Publishing. 

Referencing a Journal Article

The template for the in-text citation is (Author, Date).
- (Note: include et al. after the first author's name if there are 3 or more authors)

The template for the reference list is 
Authors. (Year published) 'Title of article', Title of journal, Volume (Issue), pages nos. doi (if online journal)

In-text citation 
O’Neill et al. (2019) claim that low diesel prices are a barrier to the relatively low uptake of electric vehicles in Ireland.


Reference list 
O’Neill, E., Moore, D., Kelleher, L. and Brereton, F. (2019) 'Barriers to electric vehicle uptake in Ireland: perspectives of car-dealers and policy-makers', Case Studies on Transport Policy, 7(1), pp. 118-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2018.12.005  

Referencing a Webpage

The template for the in-text citation is (Owner of webpage, Date). 
The template for the reference list is 
Owner of webpage (Year last updated) Title of webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date).

In-text citation 
The Environmental Protection Agency (2021) maintains that ‘environmental pollution continues to be one of the critical factors which impacts on both our life expectancy and our general health’.

Reference list
Environmental Protection Agency (2023) Environment, health and wellbeing. Available at: https://www.epa.ie/irelands environment/environmentandwellbeing/ (Accessed: 5 September 2023).

Referencing Other Sources

Write it Right - A guide to Harvard referencing style

Clicking on the image below will take you to the Library's comprehensive referencing guide. This guide includes more information on how to reference various types of sources using the Harvard Style. 

Cite them Right (Bloomsbury)

Developed from the bestselling book by Richard Pears and Graham Shields, Cite Them Right advises you about how to reference certain sources according to different referencing styles. This includes comprehensive coverage of the Harvard Style. 

The Library, Technological University of the Shannon: Midwest