The Harvard in-text citation uses the WHO and WHEN elements of a reference to indicate where the information you’ve used has come from. Typically, this is done by using the surname of the author(s) or the organisation name and year of publication. For example:
Rule = (Author Year)
The global warming and rising seas are a real threat to small island nations (Jones 2019).
Rule = Author (Year)
Jones (2019) highlighted global warming is a real threat to small island nations.
In-text citations contain the following information in this order:
Page numbers are included as a part of the in-text citation if you are quoting directly (word for word) from a source. In some cases, your teacher may specify that the page/paragraph numbers should be included for all in-text citations. Be sure to double check with your teacher for their preferences.
When including page or paragraph numbers in your in-text citations, use a colon between the date and the page/paragraph number or range of numbers. If there are no page numbers available, count the number of paragraphs and substitute for the page number.
Direct quotes
Use single quotation marks (‘quote’) for direct quotes.
Page numbers
Rule = (Author Year:page number)
Single page in-text citation: ‘Many studies exist which focus on some of the individual elements of the learner journey’ (Pittaway 2019:4).
Range of pages for in-text citation: (Pittaway 2019:20-25).
Using the author as part of the sentence: Pittaway (2019:4) states that ‘Many studies exist which focus on some of the individual elements of the learner journey’.
Paragraph numbers
Rule = (Author Year:paragraph number)
Single paragraph in-text citation: ‘Australian funds will support WFP’ (DFAT 2021:3).
Range of paragraphs for in-text citation: (DFAT 2021:4-7).
Using the author as part of the sentence: The DFAT (2021:3) states ‘Australian funds will support WFP’.
Direct quote 40 words or more
Display the quote in a freestanding block of text and leave out the quotation marks. Start the block quotation on a new line and indent the block 1.25 cm from the left margin. At the end of a block, cite the quoted source or alternatively, if the quoted source is mentioned at the beginning of the sentence, then only the page or paragraph numbers are needed at the end of the quote.
According to de Bono (2000), information can range from hard facts and figures that can be checked to soft information like opinions and feelings. If you express your own feeling, that is a red hat, but if you report on someone else expressing a feeling, that is a white hat. (25)
Use the family name of the author and the year of publication, with no punctuation between the two items.
Rule = (Author Year) OR Author (Year)
It is stated that advancing technology trends are changing the way businesses communicate (Cole 2019).
OR
Cole (2019) states advancing technology trends are changing business communication.
Rule = (Author Year:page or paragraph number)
(Cole 2019:9)
Include both names in the in-text citation. Use the word ‘and’ to separate the authors. Do not use the ampersand symbol ‘&’.
Rule = (Author and Author Year) OR Author and Author (Year)
(Blake and Smith 2019)
OR
Blake and Smith (2019) reported similar results.
Rule = (Author and Author Year:page or paragraph number)
(Blake and Smith 2019:17)
For a work by 3 or more authors, use the family name of the first author only, followed by ‘et al.’, which is Latin for ‘and others’. Do not use italics with ‘et al.’ List all of the authors in the reference list.
Rule = (First author et al. Year) OR First author et al. (Year)
Climate projections reveal global mean surface warming with cumulative carbon emissions (William et al. 2017).
OR
William et al. (2017) reported climate projections reveal global mean surface warming is increasing with cumulative carbon emissions.
Rule = (First Author et al. Year:page or paragraph number)
(William et al. 2017:8)
Where an organisation is listed as the author, especially in government and industry publications, use the name of the organisation as the author. Use the abbreviation of the organisation in the in-text citation. In the reference list, use the same abbreviation followed by the full name of the organisation in brackets.
Rule = (Organisation name Year) OR Organisation (Year)
Australia is committed to advancing human rights globally (DFAT 2020).
OR
DFAT (2020) reported that Australia is committed to advancing human rights globally.
Rule = (Organisation name Year:page or paragraph number)
(DFAT 2020:45)
For edited works, only include the author in the in-text citation. List both the author and the editor in the reference list.
If there is no personal author listed, and the creator of the source is an editor, use the editor’s name in the in-text citation with the abbreviation ‘ed.’ or ‘eds’ if there is more than one editor.
Rule = (Editor ed Year) OR Edited by Editor (Year)
Wet milling ‘involves adding a conditioning step prior to the milling to partially hydrate the kernels’ (Sheppard ed 2021:15).
OR
Edited by Sheppard (2015), it is stated that wet milling adds in an extra step to allow kernels to be semi hydrated.
If the work does not list an author, use the name of the organisation, blog, website, newspaper, journal, etc in place of the author name. If these options listed are not available, use up to the first ten words of the source title, in italics. Make sure your in-text citation matches the reference list.
Rule = (Title of work Year)
People who came to Australia after World War 2 were very emotional when asked about their first sight of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (The Sydney harbour bridge 2015).
If there is no date for the works listed, use the term ‘n.d.’ which means no date in place of year of publication.
Rule = (Author n.d.) OR Author (n.d.)
Medicinal marijuana and its by products are available to patients under medical supervision only (Office of Drug Control n.d.).
OR
According to the Office of Drug Control (n.d.) medicinal marijuana is only available to patients that are under medical supervision.
You can cite more than one source in the same in-text citation. Separate them by using semicolons. Use one set of brackets to group all of the citations.
When citing multiple works at the same section in your writing:
If sources have the same date of publication, put them in alphabetical order by author name.
Rule = (Author Year; Author Year; Author Year)
Emotional, physical, verbal and financial abuse that happens to older people is usually known as elder abuse (Flynn and Shelton 2021; Brijnath et al. 2022; National Institute on Aging 2023).
When referring to more than one work by the same author which are published in different years, list the sources in chronological order. If used separately within your writing, cite as normal (Author Year).
However, if cited together within your writing, put together in the in-text citation with a comma to separate the year. Use a colon to separate the page number.
Rule = (Author Year 1, Year 2) OR Author (Year 1, Year 2)
There are three skills needed to help gather information from others: listening; following what they are saying; and summarising to confirm your understanding (Cole 2018, 2019).
OR
According to Cole (2018, 2019) there are three skills you need to possess to gather information from others: listening; paying attention; and summarising.
If there is more than one source by the same author published in the same year, place a lowercase letter ‘a’ after the year of the first citation, a lower case ‘b’ after the year of the second citation and so on, to differentiate between the different sources. Add the letters to the year in the reference list as well.
Rule = (Author Yeara) and (Author Yearb) OR Author (Yeara) and Author (Yearb)
‘Things that we all crave are … beautiful, tasty food’ (Oliver 2010a:15) and the chance to ‘… fill up on other cultures’ (Oliver 2010b:9).
Oliver believes that we can enhance our lives by experiencing other cultures (2020b) and enjoying beautiful food (2010a).
If a reference list includes sources by two or more authors with the same surname, include the authors’ initials in all their in-text citations, even if the publication year is different.
Rule = (Author AA Year) and (Author BB Year)
There are those that believe (Adams R 1988) who believes that there is a significant difference in ... whereas, others have the view that .... is based on technique (Adams A 1983).
Note: In Harvard referencing you only provide an in-text citation for Encyclopaedias or Dictionaries, however, your teacher may prefer that you also include a reference list entry. Please consult with your teacher for their preferences.
Rule = (Encyclopaedia or Dictionary name Year) OR Encyclopaedia or Dictionary name (Year)
Cruller is defined as ‘a small cake made of dough that is formed into a twisted shape’ (Cambridge dictionary 2024:1).
OR
According to Cambridge dictionary (2024), a cruller is a type of small cake that is twisted in shape.
Note: Personal communication can include letters, emails, private interviews, face to face conversations, telephone calls and the like which are usually cited as in-text only. However, your teacher may prefer that you also include a reference list entry. Please consult with your teacher for their preferences.
Emails
Rule = Name of sender (personal communication day month year)
Joan Clarke (personal communication, 27 July 2024) wrote to confirm the conversation.
Interviews
Rule = (Name of interviewer Year)
The Prime Minister refused to share more explicit details (Sales, 2022).
Note: It is highly recommended that secondary sources only be used if you are unable to find the original sources. When you can, cite the original source to ensure you are not using another person’s interpretation. If you must use a secondary source, your in-text citation should follow the format below.
Also note: List only the secondary source (i.e. author or editor of the book you read) in the reference list.
Rule = Primary author (as cited in Secondary author Year:page number)
Mother Teresa (as cited in Adrian-Vallance 2008:12) said ‘I see God in every person’.