The reference list is where you give your reader the full details of every source you cited in your paper. If the in-text citation is a quick pointer — (Walker, 2017) — the reference list entry is the complete address: author, year, title, publisher, and everything else a reader needs to track down the source themselves.
Every Harvard-referenced paper ends with a reference list. Get this right, and your reader can verify any claim you made. Get it wrong, and your work looks sloppy — or worse, your markers can't find the sources you relied on.
Reference List vs. Bibliography — What's the Difference?
This confuses a lot of students, and the answer depends on your institution:
- Reference list — Contains only the sources you cited in the text. Every in-text citation has a matching reference list entry, and every reference list entry has at least one in-text citation. This is what most Harvard guides require.
- Bibliography — Contains everything you read or consulted during your research, including sources you didn't cite directly. Some institutions ask for a bibliography instead of (or in addition to) a reference list.
Check your assignment brief.If it says "reference list," only include cited sources. If it says "bibliography," include everything you consulted. If it says both, you'll need two separate lists.
This guide uses "reference list" — the more common requirement in Harvard-using institutions.
Formatting Rules
These rules apply to the reference list as a whole:
1. Start on a New Page
The reference list begins on its own page, after the body text and before any appendices. Centre the heading "Reference List" or "References" at the top (your institution may prefer one over the other — check).
2. Alphabetical Order
Arrange entries alphabetically by the first author's surname. If there is no author, alphabetise by the first significant word of the title (ignore "A," "An," and "The").
3. Hanging Indent
Each entry uses a hanging indent: the first line sits flush with the left margin, and every subsequent line is indented by 1.27 cm (0.5 inches). This makes it easy to scan the list by author name.
4. Double Spacing
Double-space all entries, with no extra space between them (matching the spacing of the body text). Some institutions accept 1.5 spacing — use whatever your institution specifies for the body text.
5. No Numbering
Do not number the entries. Do not use bullet points. The alphabetical order is the only organising principle.
General Entry Structure
While the exact format varies by source type, most Harvard reference list entries follow this general pattern:
Author (Year) Title. Publication information.
Let's break this down:
Author
- One author: Surname, Initial(s).
→ Walker, M. - Two authors: Surname, Initial(s). and Surname, Initial(s).
→ Chen, R. and Patel, A. - Three or more authors: List all authors in the reference list (even when you use et al. in the text).
→ Rahman, S., Torres, M. and Kim, J. - Corporate author: Full organisation name.
→ World Health Organization
Important:Unlike in-text citations, you never use et al. in the reference list. Spell out every author's name, regardless of how many there are. (Some institutions set a cap — e.g., list all up to 6, then use et al. Check your guide.)
Year
Place the year of publication in parentheses after the author, followed by a space (no full stop):
Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep...
If there is no date, use (n.d.):
Harris, T. (n.d.) Title of the work...
Title
How you format the title depends on whether the work is a standalone work or part of a larger work:
- Standalone works (books, reports, films, websites as a whole) — Italicise the title.
→ Why we sleep: the new science of sleep and dreams - Parts of larger works (journal articles, book chapters, web pages) — Use single quotation marks, no italics.
→ 'The impact of remote work on team cohesion'
Most Harvard guides use sentence case for titles — capitalise only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon:
Why we sleep: the new science of sleep and dreams
(Not: Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams)
Publication Information
This varies by source type but typically includes the publisher, place of publication, volume/issue numbers, page range, DOI, or URL. See the source-specific examples below.
Capitalisation Rules
Harvard reference lists typically use sentence case for titles:
| Element | Capitalisation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Book title | Sentence case, italicised | The art of critical thinking |
| Article/chapter title | Sentence case, single quotes | 'Social media and political engagement' |
| Journal title | Title case, italicised | British Medical Journal |
| Organisation name | As published | World Health Organization |
The key distinction: journal names (and newspaper names) keep their published capitalisation (title case). Everything else uses sentence case.
Italics, Quotation Marks, and Formatting Conventions
| Source Type | Title Format |
|---|---|
| Book | Italic |
| Journal name | Italic |
| Journal article | 'Single quotes' |
| Book chapter | 'Single quotes' |
| Web page title | 'Single quotes' |
| Website name | Italic |
| Report | Italic |
| Film / video | Italic |
| Newspaper name | Italic |
| Newspaper article | 'Single quotes' |
Multiple Works by the Same Author
When you have multiple entries by the same author, arrange them chronologically (earliest first):
Walker, M. (2015) 'Sleep and learning: a review', Annual Review of Psychology, 66(1), pp. 143–172.
Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep: the new science of sleep and dreams. London: Penguin Books.
If the same author published two or more works in the same year, add lowercase letters to distinguish them, in alphabetical order by title:
Thompson, L. (2020a) 'First article title', Journal of Management, 12(3), pp. 45–60.
Thompson, L. (2020b) 'Second article title', Journal of Management, 14(1), pp. 11–28.
Quick-Reference Table — Common Source Types
Here's a quick look at the reference list format for the most common source types. Each one links to a detailed guide with full examples.
| Source Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Book | Author (Year) Title. Edition. Place: Publisher. | Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep: the new science of sleep and dreams. London: Penguin Books. |
| Journal article | Author (Year) 'Title', Journal, Volume(Issue), pp. Pages. doi: | 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. |
| Website | Author (Year) Title. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). | World Health Organization (2024) Mental health. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health (Accessed: 15 January 2025). |
| Book chapter | Author (Year) 'Chapter title', in Editor (ed.) Book title. Place: Publisher, pp. Pages. | Lane, K. (2019) 'Cognitive load in online learning', in Morris, T. (ed.) Digital education strategies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 112–134. |
| Report | Author (Year) Title. Report number. Place: Publisher. | Department for Education (2023) School workforce census 2022. London: HMSO. |
A Note on Institutional Variation
Harvard reference list formatting is one of the areas where institutional variation is most noticeable. Common points of difference include:
- Place of publication — Some guides require it (London: Penguin Books), others have dropped it
- "Available at:" for URLs — Some guides require it, others omit it and just give the URL
- Access dates — Some require them for all online sources, others only when no publication date is available
- "pp." before page numbers — Some guides use it, others just give the numbers
- DOI format — Some use "doi:" followed by the number, others use the full URL format "https://doi.org/..."
- Ampersand vs. "and" — Some use "&" between author names, others use "and"
This guide uses the conventions most commonly found in UK university Harvard guides. When in doubt, follow your institution's version.
What's Next?
Now that you understand the structure of a reference list, dive into the source-specific guides for detailed examples:
- How to Reference a Book in Harvard Style — single-author, multi-author, edited books, e-books, and chapters
- How to Reference a Journal Article in Harvard Style — print, online, DOIs, databases, and advance publications
- How to Reference a Website in Harvard Style — web pages, blog posts, and online articles with or without authors and dates
