Articles are the most commonly cited sources in Harvard referencing. Whether it's a peer-reviewed journal article, a news piece, or an online magazine article — each follows a slightly different format in the Harvard reference list and uses the same author-date system in text.
Harvard Journal Article Citation
Peer-reviewed journal articles are cited most frequently. The reference list entry includes author(s), year, article title in single quotes, journal name in italics, volume, issue, and page range:
Format
Author(s) (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, vol. X, no. Y, pp. 000–000.
Example — single author
Walker, S. (2023) 'Climate change narratives in post-2020 climate policy', Global Environmental Change, vol. 78, no. 2, pp. 102–114.
Example — two authors
Patel, R. and Singh, A. (2022) 'Machine learning in clinical diagnostics', British Medical Journal, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 112–128.
Example — three or more authors
Chen, L., Martinez, G. and Brown, T. (2021) 'AI ethics in hiring: a systematic review', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 172, no. 4, pp. 789–805.
Harvard Journal Article with DOI
Example
Williams, J., Evans, K. and Thompson, R. (2023) 'Renewable energy transitions in sub-Saharan Africa', Energy Policy, vol. 175, pp. 113–129. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113445.
DOI or URL? Include a DOI when available — it's more stable than a URL. If no DOI, add "Available at: URL" and an access date.
Harvard Online Journal Article
Format
Author(s) (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name [Online], vol. X, no. Y, pp. 000–000. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example
Johnson, M. (2023) 'The psychology of remote work burnout', Work, Employment and Society [Online], vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 1234–1250. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0950017023456 (Accessed: 20 March 2024).
Harvard Newspaper Article
Format — print newspaper
Author(s) (Year) 'Title of article', Newspaper Name, Day Month, p./pp. 000.
Example
Smith, J. (2024) 'UK house prices fall for third consecutive month', The Guardian, 15 January, p. 12.
Format — online newspaper
Author(s) (Year) 'Title of article', Newspaper Name [Online], Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example
BBC News (2024) 'Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25%', BBC News [Online], 1 February. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68102345 (Accessed: 5 February 2024).
Harvard Magazine Article
Example — print magazine
Brown, T. (2023) 'The future of AI regulation', The Economist, vol. 449, no. 9368, pp. 45–48.
Example — online magazine
Davis, K. (2024) 'How generative AI is reshaping creative industries', Wired [Online], 12 January. Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/generative-ai-creative (Accessed: 20 January 2024).
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In-Text Citation for Articles
| Scenario | In-Text Format |
|---|
| One author | (Walker, 2023) |
| Two authors | (Patel and Singh, 2022) |
| Three or more authors | (Chen et al., 2021) |
| Direct quote | (Walker, 2023, p. 104) |
| Page range | (Walker, 2023, pp. 102–106) |
| Author named in sentence | Walker (2023) argues... |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free Harvard journal article citation generator?▼
Yes — GradeEssays provides a free Harvard citation generator at
/citation-generator/harvard. It supports journal articles, newspaper articles, magazine pieces, and online sources. No signup required.
Do article titles go in italics or quotes in Harvard?▼
In Harvard referencing, article titles (journal, newspaper, and magazine articles) go in single quotation marks: 'Title of Article'. The journal or publication name is italicised. This is opposite to IEEE, where article titles use double quotation marks and journal names are abbreviated and italicised.
Should I include the database name (e.g., JSTOR, EBSCO) in a Harvard citation?▼
No — Harvard citations do not include database names. If the article has a DOI, use that. If not, use the journal's own URL or a permalink to the article. The database name (JSTOR, EBSCO, etc.) is not part of the citation.
How do I cite a Harvard magazine article with no volume or issue number?▼
Simply omit the vol./no. elements if they are not available. Use the date more prominently: Author (Year) 'Article title', Magazine Name, Day Month. For weekly or monthly magazines where vol./no. are listed on the cover, include them.