Journal articles are the backbone of academic research. Whether you're writing a literature review, supporting an argument with empirical evidence, or engaging with a theoretical debate, you'll almost certainly need to cite journal articles. Fortunately, Harvard makes this straightforward — the format is consistent and logical, and once you know the basic pattern, every variation is manageable.
Let's work through the standard format and then cover every scenario you're likely to encounter.
The Standard Format
Every journal article reference follows this general structure:
Author (Year) 'Article title', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. page range. doi:xxxxx.
Here's a complete example:
Patel, R. and Singh, A. (2022) 'The impact of remote work on team cohesion', Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 43(2), pp. 41–58. doi:10.1002/job.2614.
What to notice:
- Author surname(s) and initial(s)
- Year in parentheses
- Article title in single quotation marks, sentence case
- Journal name in italics, title case (as published)
- Volume number, with issue number in parentheses
- "pp." before the page range
- DOI at the end (when available)
- Full stop after the DOI
Note:Some Harvard guides omit "pp." and just give the page numbers directly (e.g., 43(2), 41–58). Others place a comma after the journal name and another after the volume/issue. Check your institution's convention. The format above is the most common in UK Harvard guides.
Article Accessed in Print
If you read a physical copy of the journal (or a printout), use the standard format:
Reference list:
Gardner, H. (2020) 'A synthesising mind: a memoir from the creator of multiple intelligences theory', British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(S1), pp. 1–14.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Gardner, 2020, p. 8)
Narrative:Gardner (2020, p. 8) reflects on the development of the theory and notes that…
No DOI or URL is needed for print sources, although including a DOI is good practice if you know it — it helps your reader locate the article.
Article Accessed Online With a DOI
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent link to a specific article. If the article has a DOI, always include it — it's the most reliable way for your reader to find the exact same source.
Reference list:
Chen, L. and Huang, Y. (2023) 'Machine learning applications in sustainable agriculture: a systematic review', Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 205, 107624. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2023.107624.
In-text citations:
(Chen and Huang, 2023)
DOI format:Some Harvard guides use the format "doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx" (as shown above). Others prefer the full URL format: "https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx". Both are acceptable — use whichever your institution specifies.
Article Accessed Online With a URL (No DOI)
If the article doesn't have a DOI, provide the URL where you accessed it, along with an access date:
Reference list:
Williams, J. (2022) 'The ethics of algorithmic decision-making in healthcare', Health Policy Review, 18(4), pp. 312–329. Available at: https://www.healthpolicyreview.org/articles/ethics-algorithmic (Accessed: 14 January 2025).
In-text citations:
(Williams, 2022, p. 318)
Prefer DOIs over URLs.DOIs are persistent — URLs can break. If the article has a DOI but you accessed it via a database URL, use the DOI. You can look up DOIs at doi.org.
Article From a Database
When you access an article through a university library database (JSTOR, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, etc.), the key question is: does it have a DOI?
- If it has a DOI — use the DOI format. Don't include the database URL.
- If it doesn't have a DOI — use the database URL or just the article URL, with an access date.
With DOI (preferred):
Morrison, K.R. (2021) 'Resilience in educational leadership', Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(1), pp. 85–104. doi:10.1177/1741143220935456.
Without DOI:
Morrison, K.R. (2021) 'Resilience in educational leadership', Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(1), pp. 85–104. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27015482 (Accessed: 20 February 2025).
Do you need to name the database?Most Harvard guides say no — the DOI or URL is enough. Some older guides ask you to include the database name. Unless your institution requires it, just use the DOI.
Article With an Article Number Instead of Page Range
Some journals — particularly in the sciences — use article numbers instead of traditional page ranges:
Reference list:
Chen, L. and Huang, Y. (2023) 'Machine learning applications in sustainable agriculture: a systematic review', Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 205, 107624. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2023.107624.
In-text citations:
(Chen and Huang, 2023)
Replace the "pp." and page range with the article number. If you need to reference a specific section, use a paragraph or section locator:
(Chen and Huang, 2023, section 3.2)
Advance Online Publication / Early Access
Some articles are published online before they appear in a print issue. These "early access" or "advance online" articles may not yet have volume, issue, or page numbers:
Reference list:
Torres, M. (2025) 'Climate adaptation strategies in coastal cities', Environmental Research Letters. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/abc123. [Preprint].
In-text citations:
(Torres, 2025)
Use the year the online version was published. Include "[Preprint]" or "[Advance online publication]" after the DOI to signal that the final version may differ. Once the article is published in an issue, update your reference with the volume, issue, and page numbers.
Review Article or Editorial
Review articles, editorials, and commentaries follow the same format as standard journal articles. If it's helpful to indicate the article type, include it in square brackets after the title:
Reference list:
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2021) 'Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern-based qualitative analytic approaches' [Editorial], Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), pp. 37–47. doi:10.1002/capr.12360.
In-text citations:
(Braun and Clarke, 2021)
Multiple Authors
The author rules for journal articles follow the same principles as for books:
| Number of Authors | Reference List | In-Text |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surname, Initial(s). | (Surname, Year) |
| 2 | Surname, Initial(s). and Surname, Initial(s). | (Surname and Surname, Year) |
| 3 | Surname, Initial(s)., Surname, Initial(s). and Surname, Initial(s). | (Surname et al., Year) — or list all, depending on your institution |
| 4+ | List all in reference list | (First surname et al., Year) |
For detailed multi-author guidance, see Harvard Citation With Multiple Authors.
Common Mistakes With Journal Article References
| Mistake | What's Wrong | Correct Format |
|---|---|---|
| Italicising the article title | Article titles should be in single quotes, not italics | 'Article title' not Article title |
| Using title case for the article title | Harvard uses sentence case for article titles | 'The impact of remote work' not 'The Impact of Remote Work' |
| Omitting the DOI when available | DOIs are the most reliable way to locate an article | Always include the DOI if the article has one |
| Using the database URL when a DOI exists | Database URLs can change; DOIs are permanent | Use the DOI, not the JSTOR/EBSCOhost URL |
| Forgetting "pp." before page numbers | Most Harvard guides use "pp." for page ranges | pp. 41–58 not 41–58 (check your guide) |
| Confusing volume and issue | Volume is the main number; issue is in parentheses | 43(2) — volume 43, issue 2 |
Summary: Journal Article Reference Formats at a Glance
| Scenario | Reference List Format |
|---|---|
| Print article | Author (Year) 'Title', Journal, Vol(Issue), pp. X–Y. |
| Online with DOI | Author (Year) 'Title', Journal, Vol(Issue), pp. X–Y. doi:xxxxx. |
| Online with URL | Author (Year) 'Title', Journal, Vol(Issue), pp. X–Y. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Article number | Author (Year) 'Title', Journal, Vol, ArticleNo. doi:xxxxx. |
| Advance publication | Author (Year) 'Title', Journal. doi:xxxxx. [Preprint]. |
What's Next?
Now that you know how to reference journal articles, explore these related guides:
- How to Reference a Book in Harvard Style — the other core academic source type
- How to Reference a Website in Harvard Style — for online sources that aren't journal articles
- Harvard Reference List — the complete guide to formatting your reference list
- Harvard Citation With Multiple Authors — detailed rules for et al. and multi-author formatting
