14 July,2023
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Harvard referencing is one of the most common referencing styles used by several universities across the globe but majorly in the UK universities. So, if you are planning to study abroad in your dream university in UK, it is important that you learn about this style in advance. Don’t worry. This blog will tell you all about it along with paying exclusive attention to referencing blogs in Harvard style. Keep reading to unveil the details about the same.
The author and year are credited in-text according to Harvard style, and a reference list should include all pertinent information about the source.
Harvard referencing standards are published by some colleges on their own; always check to see if there are any additional requirements. But following the conventional rules and regulations here is quick primary guide to Harvard referencing.
Any quotation or paraphrase from a source is followed by a Harvard in-text citation. It includes the last name(s) of the author(s), the year the work was published, and, if relevant, a page number or range identifying the piece in question.
The quotation or paraphrase in question is frequently followed by an in-text reference. If it’s clear what it refers to, it may also come towards the end of the pertinent sentence.
If the author’s name appears in your sentence already, do not include it again in the citation.
Cite the names of all authors when you reference a work with up to three authors. List only the first name, followed by ‘et al.’ when there are four or more authors:
| Number of authors | In-text citation example |
| 1 author | (Steve, 2019) |
| 2 authors | Steve and Barrett, 2019) |
| 3 authors | (Steve, Barrett and Hugh, 2019) |
| 4+ authors | (Steve et al., 2019) |
There are some sources that frequently lack page numbers, such as websites. If the source is a brief text, the page number need not be included. If you need to identify where to find the quote in a larger source, you can use an alternative locator such a subheading or paragraph number.
For example – (XYZ, para. 5)
When you need more than one citation to appear at the same place in your text, such as when you use more than one source in a single sentence, you can group them together in a set of brackets and separate them with a semicolon. Order them based on the dates of publication.
For example – Several in-depth studies have investigated this phenomenon during the last decade (Singh, 2011; Davidson, 2015; Harding, 2018).
It’s crucial to differentiate between materials written by the same author and published in the same year when citing more than one of them. To achieve this, follow each year you cite with a ‘a’, a ‘b’, and so forth:
For example – The results of the first study (ABC, 2018a) were inconclusive, but a follow up study (ABC, 2018b) achieved a clearer outcome.
At the conclusion of your text, there is a bibliography or references list. It provides detailed information so that the reader may look up any of your sources if necessary. All of your sources are listed alphabetically by the last name of the author.
The author’s last name is listed first in the reference item, followed by their initial(s). Only the first word of the title and any proper nouns are capitalised.
When listing multiple authors in in-text citations, only the first author should be mentioned if there are four or more. In cases where a source lacks a publication date, you can use the term “no date,” especially if it’s a frequently updated reference source like Wikipedia or an ancient document with an unknown date. If a source doesn’t have a clear author, you can attribute it to the corporate entity responsible for it, like Google or Wikipedia. If that’s not possible, you can simply use the source’s title in both the in-text citation and reference list.
Here is a sample reference list collected from https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/c.php?g=386501&p=2622094#s-lg-box-wrapper-9597242
REFERENCES
Blocker, D & Wahl-Alexander, Z 2018, ‘Using sport education in a university physical activity course’, JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 56-61.
Cancer Council 2017, Causes of cancer, Cancer Council, viewed 21 May 2018,
Foot, G 2019, ‘Health drinks: turmeric’, The best thing since sliced bread?, podcast, 20 February, accessed 25 February 2019,
Fuji shin, R 2016, Natural bridges: a guide to interpersonal communication, Rutledge, Abingdon, England.
Hay, B 2016, ‘Drone tourism: a study of the current and potential use of drones in hospitality and tourism’, CAUTHE 2016: the changing landscape of tourism and hospitality: the impact of emerging markets and emerging destinations, Blue Mountains, Sydney, 8-11 February, 2016, pp. 49-68.
Larson, C, Reid, TR & Trotsky, BT 2018, Immunomodulatory fusion proteins, US20180134766, viewed 23 May 2018, retrieved from Scopus.
OpenOffice.org 2017, computer software, downloaded 17 May 2018,
Quill, B, Bainbridge, M, Bainbridge, B, Oddie, J, Lambie, J & Bainbridge, T 2018, When the war is over: the challenges that Mick had was mortal loss, friends that had been killed around him – Australian Story, television broadcast, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9 April, viewed 23 May 2018,
To successfully reference a blog in Harvard style, it is important for you to know the important elements of the blog that has to be included in the reference and citation. The same is mentioned and discussed below –
Who have curated the blog is the most important element. Without mentioning the names (if present) the referencing won’t serve the main purpose. Therefore, whenever you are taking references from a blogpost make sure to note down the names of the author(s).
Mention which year the blog was published because it impacts the reliability of the information you have gathered from the blog. Usually, blogs are not evergreen content. They mostly satisfy the needs and necessities of the Understanding the Elements of a Blog Reference audience in the contemporary time. And thus, it is important to mention the date of publication only to verify that the information included is not way too old.
Of course, the very next important element is the title of the blog post. No doubt that it is only for the authentication and identification of the sources. This helps the professor or the evaluator to easily reach and read the blog for further clarification of your stated information.
Next, you must provide the URL of the blog that was referred to. As a student, it is not always possible to check whether the source and the information are genuine. Having the URL helps them read and verify the accuracy of the information.
Though this is optional it is aways to wiser to include the date of access of the money. Once again it will help establish the
The basic steps for referencing a blog in the Harvard style are as follows –
In-text citations in Harvard style include a name and a year. The author’s last name and the date the post was last updated are therefore required for a blog post:
Unnamed authors will occasionally write blog pieces. In this situation, you can cite the name of the publishing house or the author’s alias:
Following that, you must include complete source information in your reference list.
Here is the template –
(Author Surname, Year Published)
Example
XYZ gaming system offers 10 times the power of ABC (Hugh, 2014)
The format for a blog post in a Harvard reference list is as follows:
Author, Initial(s). (Year of publication/last update) “Title of Post,” Name of Blog, day and month published/updated [Blog]. Available at URL (Accessed date).
In practice, the references for the blogs cited above would look like this:
Quiggin, J. (2021) “Economic lessons of the 20-year armistice,” Crooked Timber, February 18, 2021 [Blog]. Available at https://crookedtimber.org/2021/02/18/economic-lessons-of-the-20-year-armistice/ (Accessed March 23, 2021).
Save the Rhino. (2017) “De-horning,” Save the Rhino, 20 August 2017 [Blog]. Available at https://www.savetherhino.org/thorny-issues/de-horning/ (Accessed March 21, 2021).
Here are some more examples of blog referencing in Harvard style.
In case of intext citation of single author blogpost do the Harvard referencing in the following way –
(Newton, 2007)
While mentioning it in the reference list it will be
Newton, A. 2007. Newcastle toolkit. 16 January 2007. Angela Newton: Blog. Available from: https://elgg.leeds.ac.uk/libajn/weblog/. [23 February 2007].
[Collected from – https://ufh.za.libguides.com/c.php?g=91522&p=590675]
Here is how you can provide the in-text citation of a multiple author blog post in the Harvard referencing style –
(O’Connor, John, 2010)
O’Connor, John (2010) ‘Global warming and the future’, Jane Murphy blog, 14 January. Available at http://janemurphyblog.com/blogs/archive/2010/01/14/115/aspx (Accessed 13 April 2010)
[Collected from https://libguides.ucd.ie/harvardstyle/harvardblog#:~:text=Reference%3A%20Author(s)%20Last,Jane%20Murphy%20blog%2C%2014%20January.]
The in-text citation of blog post with no author follows this format –
(Dyslexia, 2005)
The above example is following the template (Blog name, Year)
In the reference list mention it in the following way –
Dyslexia (2006) ‘Genetic influences on reading difficulties in boys and girls: the Colorado twin study’, 12(l), pp. 21-29. Available at https://doi-org.ucd.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/dys.301(Accessed 10 February 2009).
[Collected from – https://libguides.ucd.ie/harvardstyle/noauthor#:~:text=Reference%3A%20Journal%20Title%20(Year),(Accessed%20Day%20Month%20Year).]
Typically, a paper that uses Harvard referencing has the following format:
To conclude it can be said that, when taking reference from a source, it’s important to acknowledge the sources that were used. This is done through referencing, which can be done using the Harvard reference style. The foundation of this style is the author-date system, which involves both a reference list and in-text citations. Citations should be formatted as (Author Surname, Year Published) and the references list should include the author’s surname, initial entry, date of publication, title, place of publication, and publisher’s name.
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The right way to write reference for a blog is – Last name, First name. “Title of Blog Post.” Web blog post. Blog Name. Publisher/Sponsor of Blog (if applicable), Date Month Year Published
The format for a blog post in a Harvard reference list is as follows: Author, Initial(s). (Year of publication/last update) “Title of Post,” Name of Blog, day and month published/updated [Blog]. Available at URL (Accessed date).
If the source you’re citing doesn’t have a publication year, use “no date” instead. When listing your references, replace the missing year with “no date”. However, make sure you follow the standard citation format for the type of source you’re using.
Harvard referencing for an online article should be done in the following –
Author surname, initial. (Year) ‘Article Title’, Blog Name, Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Here is an example of Harvard referencing –
(Smalls & Brook 2010)
Smalls, S & Brook, S 2006, My Great Blog, blog, viewed 10 January 2008,
Harvard referencing of a Journal article needs to have the following –
The structure it follows is – Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Article title’, Journal Title (published online ahead of print Day Month). Available at: DOI/URL (Accessed Day Month Year).
Hi, I am Mark, a Literature writer by profession. Fueled by a lifelong passion for Literature, story, and creative expression, I went on to get a PhD in creative writing. Over all these years, my passion has helped me manage a publication of my write ups in prominent websites and e-magazines. I have also been working part-time as a writing expert for myassignmenthelp.com for 5+ years now. It’s fun to guide students on academic write ups and bag those top grades like a pro. Apart from my professional life, I am a big-time foodie and travel enthusiast in my personal life. So, when I am not working, I am probably travelling places to try regional delicacies and sharing my experiences with people through my blog.
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