What the generator does
Choose the kind of source, then search by title, DOI, ISBN or web address, or type the details in. Records come from Crossref, DataCite, OpenAlex, PubMed, Open Library and Google Books, or from the page itself. The form shows what is missing before you copy. You get the reference-list entry and the in-text citation, and you can export a list as a .docx, BibTeX or RIS file.
Check your school’s guide first
Harvard is a family of styles. A reference that is correct in one university’s guide may be marked down in another’s. Before you submit, find your school’s Harvard page (the library or writing centre usually has one) and compare a generated entry with its example for the same kind of source.
The style used here is widely taught in the UK. If your institution uses Cite Them Right, the generated entries should be close. Differences appear most often in how a web page, a report or an e-book is written.
What to check after you generate
- Date and edition. Books have editions. The year in the record may belong to a different one from your copy.
- Web pages. Some Harvard guides ask for the date you accessed the page. Add it if yours does.
- Titles. Check the capitalization your guide asks for, since database titles vary.
Questions people ask
Is there one official Harvard style?
No. “Harvard” describes any style that cites sources as (Author Year) in the text and lists them alphabetically at the end. There is no single Harvard manual, so universities publish their own versions. The punctuation, the use of quotation marks and what is italicized differ between them.
Which version does this generator follow?
The open Cite Them Right style definition from the Citation Style Language project, which is based on the 12th edition. Cite Them Right is now in its 13th edition (2025), so small details may differ from the newest book. If your school has its own Harvard guide, follow that.
My university's Harvard guide looks different. Which do I trust?
Your university's. Use the generator to collect the details of each source (authors, year, title, publisher, DOI), then arrange them the way your guide shows. Guides most often differ on small things, such as whether the year sits in brackets.
What does an in-text citation look like?
Author and year in brackets, with a page number when you quote or point to a specific passage: (Smith, 2023, p. 12). Some schools leave out the comma, or make the author's name part of the sentence.
Is Harvard the same as APA?
Both cite by author and date, so they look alike in your text. The reference lists differ in punctuation, in how names and titles are written and in the details of each source type.
Official sources
We paraphrase official guidance and link to it. When in doubt, follow the source and your instructor.