cite a conference presentation harvard

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How to Cite and Reference a Conference Paper in the Harvard Style

• 2-minute read
• 8th March 2023

Conference papers are a common resource for academics . But how do you cite and reference one as a source using Harvard? Here’s our quick guide. We’ll focus on the Open University style , but Harvard conventions can vary between institutions, so make sure you check your own style guide too.

Citing a Conference Paper

An in-text citation includes the name and year in parentheses, like this:

If you use a direct quote, you’ll need to add page numbers as well:

If you’re citing two authors, include both surnames separated by and . If you’re citing three or more authors, list the first surname followed by “et al.” If you’re missing an author’s name, you can use the name of the organization that published the paper. And if you’re missing a date, you can use “n.d.”

Referencing a Conference Paper

When adding a conference paper to a Harvard reference list, follow this format:

Author, A. (year of publication) “Title of Paper”, Title of Conference. Location, date of conference. Place of publication, Publisher, page numbers.

If you found the conference paper online, format the entry this way:

Author, A. (year of publication) “Title of Paper,” Title of Conference. Location, date of conference. Publisher [Online]. Available at URL (Accessed date).

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If you’re referencing an unpublished conference paper, you can omit the publisher information:

Author, A. (year of publication) “Title of Paper,” paper presented at Title of Conference . Location, date of conference.

Variations of Harvard Referencing

As we’ve said, the Harvard style has many variations. We’ve looked at the Open University version in this post, but make sure you check your institution’s style guide. And when in doubt, be sure to keep everything consistent.

Of course, you can always send your work our way! Our editors are Harvard referencing experts and will make sure you’ve formatted your references and citations correctly. They’ll also check your work for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more! Try it out for free today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format for a harvard citation.

Harvard uses author–date citations, with the author’s name and the year of publication in parentheses: (Smith, 2012).

How do you add an online conference paper to a Harvard reference list?

Follow a typical Harvard reference format but omit the location, add [Online] after the publisher name, and include the URL as well as the date you accessed the site.

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Harvard Referencing Guide

• Conference papers, presentations, theses

Conference papers, presentations

• For conference papers published online, hyperlink the title . If you’re citing a PDF, avoid linking directly to the PDF. Instead link to the page that hosts the PDF.

Published conference paper and presentation

Elements of the reference, author a (day month year) ‘title of paper: subtitle of paper’ [conference presentation],  name of conference , place of conference, accessed day month year., in-text citation, blunden (2007) or (blunden 2007), reference list, blunden j (9–12 may 2007) ‘ plain or just dull collateral damage from the plain english movement ’ [conference presentation],  3rd iped conference , tasmania, accessed 3 may 2019., unpublished conference paper, author a (day month year) ‘title of paper: subtitle of paper’ [unpublished conference presentation],  name of conference , place of conference., blunden j (9–12 may 2007) ‘plain or just dull collateral damage from the plain english movement’ [unpublished conference presentation],  3rd iped conference , hobart..

• If the thesis is online, hyperlink the title and include an accessed date. If you’re citing a PDF, avoid linking directly to the PDF. Instead link to the page that hosts the PDF.

Published thesis

Author a (year)  title of thesis: subtitle of thesis  [type of thesis], name of university, accessed day month year., (rahman 2013) or rahman (2013), rahman m (2013)  using authentic materials in the writing classes: tertiary level scenario  [master’s thesis], brac university, accessed 5 may 2017., unpublished thesis, author a (year)  title of thesis: subtitle of thesis  [unpublished type of thesis], name of university, accessed day month year., rahman m (2013)  using authentic materials in the writing classes: tertiary level scenario  [unpublished master’s thesis], brac university, accessed 5 may 2017..

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Harvard Citation Style: Conference Proceedings

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Citing Conference Proceedings

When citing Conference Proceedings papers the techniques used are very similar to those employed when citing journal articles

The name of the overall proceedings should appear in italics

Reference should be made to the corporate body hosting the conference and the location of the conference

Citing Conference Proceedings: Examples

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Harvard Style Guide: Lectures/ presentations

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• Group or individual assignments
• Legal Cases (Law Reports)
• No date of publication
• Personal communications
• Repository item
• Citing same author, multiple works, same year

Back to Academic Integrity guide

Lectures or presentations

Reference : Author(s) Last name, Initial(s). (Year) 'Title of lecture/presentation' [Medium], Module Code: Module title . Institution. Day Month.

Example : De Burca, M. (2014) ' Geriatric radiography services in Ireland' [Lecture], RDGY30300: Clinical Practice of Radiography . University College Dublin. 11 May.

In-Text-Citation :

• Author(s) Last name (Year)
• (Authors(s) Last name, Year)
• De Burca (2014) described the complicated system of radiographic services...
• There is a complicated system of geriatric radiographic services in Ireland (De Burca, 2014).

Still unsure what in-text citation and referencing mean? Check here .

Still unsure why you need to reference all this information? Check here . 

Lectures or presentations (Online/Recorded)

Reference : Author(s) Last name, Initial(s). (Year) 'Title of lecture/presentation' [Medium], Module Code: Module title . Institution/Venue. Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example : Dunphy, S. (2021) ‘History of Irish women in law’ [Recorded lecture], HIS2300: Modern Ireland . University College Dublin. 7 January. Available at: https://brightspace.ucd.ie/his2300/ (Accessed: 7 March 2021).

• Dunphy (2021) outlines the impact of the absence of female law makers...
• The absence of Irish female law makers has led to a system with a blindness to key aspects of daily life (Dunphy, 2021).

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Harvard Referencing Guide: PowerPoint Presentations

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• PowerPoint Presentation

Audiovisual Media - Powerpoint Presentation

PowerPoint Pr esentation

E xample -  Presentation available online and accessible by anyone

The full reference should generally include

• Year (in round brackets)
• Title of the presentation (in italics)
• [PowerPoint presentation] in square brackets
• Available at: URL
• (Accessed: date)

In-text citation

Full reference for the Reference List

Example: PowerPoint presentation from a learning management system such as the VLE

• Author or tutor
• Year of publication (in round brackets)
• Title of the presentation (in single quotation marks)
• Module code: module title (in italics)
• Available at: URL of the VLE

Example : Full reference for the Reference List

Audiovisual Material

Film / movie

TV programme

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Leeds Harvard: Conference paper or conference proceedings

Reference examples.

If the conference paper is published in a journal, you should reference it as a journal article . If the proceedings have been published as a book, you should reference them as follows:

Family name, INITIAL(S). Year. Title of paper. In: Family name, INITIAL(S) (of editor if known). ed.  Title of conference proceedings, date of conference, location of conference . Place of publication: Publisher, page number(s).

Robertson, J. 1986. The economics of local recovery. In: The other economic summit, 17/18 April 1986, Tokyo . London: The Other Economic Summit, pp.5-10.

Family name, INITIAL(S). Year. Title of paper. In: Family name, INITIAL(S) (of editor if known). ed. Title of conference proceedings, date of conference, location of conference . [Online]. Place of publication: Publisher, page number(s). [Date accessed]. Available from: URL

Bonacin, R., Nabuca, O.F., and Pierozzi, I. 2014. Modeling the impacts of agriculture on water resources: semantic interoperability issues. In: Reddy, S.M. ed. 23rd IEEE International WETICE Conference, 23-25 June 2014, Parma . [Online]. Los Alamitos: CPS, pp.447-452. [Accessed 17 May 2017]. Available from: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6927099

Citation examples

Author and date.

When the author name is not mentioned in the text, the citation consists of the author’s name and the year of publication in brackets.

It was emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent (Jones, 2017).

If you have already named the author in the text, only the publication year needs to be mentioned in brackets.

Jones (2017) emphasised that citations in the text should be consistent.

Three or more authors

If a source has three or more authors, the name of the first author should be given, followed by the phrase "et al."

It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent (Jones et al., 2017).

Jones et al. (2017) emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent.

Leeds Harvard does not use ibid to refer to previously cited items. If you are citing the same item twice in a row (i.e. you do not cite any other items in the text between the two citations) you must write the full citation again. As usual, if you are directly quoting or paraphrasing specific ideas, you should include a page number (if there is one). 

Jones et al. (2017, p.24) emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent and argued that referencing is a key part of academic integrity (2017, p.27). Furthermore, having a broad range of references in a text is an indicator of the breadth of a scholar's reading and research (Jones et al., 2017, p.14).

When to include page numbers

You should include page numbers in your citation if you quote directly from the text, paraphrase specific ideas or explanations, or use an image, diagram, table, etc. from a source.

"It was emphasised that citations in a text should be consistent" (Jones, 2017, p.24).

When referencing a single page, you should use p. For a range of pages, use pp.

p.7 or pp.20-29.

If the page numbers are in Roman numerals, do not include p. before them.

(Amis, 1958, iv)

Corporate author

If the item is produced by an organisation, treat the organisation as a "corporate author". This means you can use the name of the organisation instead of that of an individual author. This includes government departments, universities or companies. Cite the corporate author in the text the same way as you would an individual author.

According to a recent report, flu jabs are as important as travel vaccines (Department of Health, 2017).  

Common issues

When you're referencing with Leeds Harvard you may come across issues with missing details, multiple authors, edited books, references to another author's work or online items, to name a few. Here are some tips on how to deal with some common issues when using Leeds Harvard.

Skip straight to the issue that affects you:

• Online items
• URL web addresses
• Multiple authors
• Corporate author(s) or organisation(s)
• Multiple publisher details
• Editions and reprints
• Missing details
• Multiple sources with different authors
• Sources written by the same author in the same year
• Sources with the same author in different years
• Two authors with the same surname in the same year
• The work of one author referred to by another
• Anonymising sources for confidentiality
• Identifying the authors’ family name (surname)

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The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style: Spoken Sources

• Online & Electronic Sources
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How to reference spoken sources

• Conference presentations
• Audio sources (online & electronic)

General guidance  on referencing spoken sources

A spoken source is any source that was not originally written down. This may be a video, sound recording, conversation, interview, etc. Remember that with audio sources your reader may need to know the format, so indicate whether the source is a CD, DVD, VHS video, 35mm film, etc.

If you incorporate information from spoken sources into your text, you must provide both  an in-text citation and matching entry in your end List of References. These two components are referenced differently for different types of spoken sources. Click on the relevant tab above to see examples.

An interview already available in the public domain

Note:  Research conventions state that interviews that you conducted yourself are regarded as research data (which you may attach to your academic paper in the form of an Appendix) and therefore do not need to be referenced. 

In-text citation

• Surname of the interviewee(s).
• Year of the interview.

List of References entry

Example 1  ( interviews available in print).

• Name and initial(s) of the interviewee.
• Year the interview took place in brackets. 
• Title of the interview within single quotation marks. (This could be the title of the article or article section or the title of the broadcast).
• The words 'interview by' followed by the name of the interviewer in square brackets. 
• The word 'in'.
• Full reference as normal (see relevant example) for the source in which the interview has been published, broadcast or recorded.

If available:

• The page number(s) of the interview, preceded by a comma.

Example 2 (Interviews accessed electronically)

• Title of the interview within single quotation marks (this could be the title of the article or article section or the title of the broadcast).
• The word 'online' in square brackets.
• The words 'available from'.
• Full URL within chevrons, i.e. < >.
• Date of access in square brackets. (See date format in example above).

A conference presentation attended live

Note :  .

• This page provides advice on how to reference conference papers as spoken sources (i.e. those attended live).
• Also see how to reference  published conference papers
• Also see how to reference an entire  volume of conference proceedings
• Name of the presenter(s).  If appropriate,  use 'et al.' .
• Surname and initial(s) of the presenter.
• Year of the presentation in brackets.
• Title of the presentation between single inverted commas.
• Title of the conference in italics, followed by a full stop.
• The word 'held', followed by the date(s) of the conference. (See date format above).
• The word 'at', followed by the place where the conference took place.
• The format of your entry in the List of References may be one of three types: a live lecture (lecture notes), a lecture podcast (available online, e.g. through Moodle or YouTube), or  a recorded lecture (e.g. on DVD or CD).

In your writing, indicate that you are referring to a lecture, then add:

• Name of the lecturer(s) (as author).
• Year the lecture was delivered.

Example 1  (A live lecture, e.g. from your notes)

• Surname and initial(s) of the lecturer.
• Title of the lecture in italics (you may need to make up an appropriate title).
• The word ‘lecture’ in square brackets.
• Title of module, seminar or special occasion, followed by a comma.
• Exact date of the lecture with a full stop. (See date format in the example above).
• Place, followed by a colon.
• Institution where the lecture was delivered.

Example 2 (A lecture podcast, i.e. a lecture available online)

• Format in square brackets, e.g. 'lecture podcast'.
• Exact date of the lecture with a full stop. (See date format in example above).
• URL or the virtual learning platform.

Example 3 (A lecture available as a recording)

• Tear of the presentation in brackets.
• Format in square brackets, e.g. 'lecture CD'.
• Exact date of the lecture with a full stop. 

The minutes of a meeting

• Organisation, department or group that organised the meeting.
• Year of the meeting.

If the passage originates in a paginated document:

•  Page number(s) preceded by a colon.
• Name of the organisation, department or group that organised the meeting.
• Year of the meeting in brackets.
• Type of document, i.e. 'Meeting Minutes', in italics.
• Institution.

An electronic audio source

Take a look at the Online & Electronic Sources section for examples of the following formats:

• CDs, DVDs and streamed content
• Broadcasts/podcasts
• Recorded programmes

Download the Guide

• The Coventry University Guide to Referencing in Harvard Style

Overview of key elements :

• In-text citations
• List of References
• Relationship between elements

Techniques to  integrate sources

• Paraphrasing
• Summarising

How to reference  secondary sources   (sources within sources)

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Harvard Referencing (2002 version)

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Conference paper - Presented at a conference

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Paper author, AA year of publication, 'Title of paper', paper presented at Name of conference , Place of conference, date-date Month year (of conference).

Paper author, AA year of publication, 'Title of paper', paper presented at  Name of conference , Place of conference, date-date Month year (of conference), viewed day Month year, <URL>.

Abbott, K & Seymour, J 1997, 'Trapping the papaya fruit fly in North Queensland', paper presented at the Australian Entomological Society conference , Melbourne, 28-30 September 1997.

Bayne, S & Ross, J 2007, 'The ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’: a dangerous opposition', paper presented at the  Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE),  Brighton, Sussex, 11-13 December 2007, viewed 9 October 2011, <http://www.malts.ed.ac.uk/staff/sian/natives_final.pdf>.

In-text citation:

Abbott and Seymour (1997) describe trapping the fruit fly ...

  Format:

Paper author, AA year of publication, 'Title of paper', Title of conference proceedings , Publisher, Place of Publication, pp. xx-xx.

Gleeson, L 1996, 'Inside looking out', Claiming a place: proceedings from the third national conference of the Children's Book Council of Australia , D.W. Thorpe, Port Melbourne, pp. 22-34.

Children's books are ... (Gleeson 1997).

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Harvard Referencing - SETU Libraries Waterford Guide: Conference Papers

• SETU Waterford Libraries Harvard Referencing Basics
• Paraphrasing and Direct Quotations
• Elements in References
• Journal Articles
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Conference Papers

• Dictionaries
• Discussion boards (Course)
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• Exhibition catalogues
• Lecture notes (including tutorial handouts, moodle etc.)
• Legislation - Statutory Instruments
• Newspaper Articles
• Personal Communications (conversations, letters, e-mails, other online services etc)
• Photographs taken from websites or social media.
• Photographs you have taken yourself
• PowerPoint presentations/seminars
• Reference Books (Encyclopaedias, bibliographies, dictionaries)
• RTE News Online Items
• X ( formerly Twitter)
• YouTube or TED Talk
• Book, article or web page that has referenced something else (secondary referencing)
• Citing several authorities to support the same point
• Finding the date of a web page
• Author's Initials
• Referencing work by the same author from different years
• Online Library Tutorials

Author. (Year of publication) ‘Title of paper’, Title of conference: subtitle . Location and date of conference. Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: date) or doi:.

Kleiman, P. (2011) ‘Student voices, student lives: a reality check on engagement’, Engaging minds: fifth annual conference of the NAIRTL . NUI Galway, 9 & 10 June. NAIRTL. Available at: http://www.nairtl.ie/documents/Engaging%20Minds%20Proceedings_FINAL.pdf (Accessed: 19 June 2017).

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• Free Tools for Students
• Harvard Referencing Generator

Free Harvard Referencing Generator

Generate accurate Harvard reference lists quickly and for FREE, with MyBib!

🤔 What is a Harvard Referencing Generator?

A Harvard Referencing Generator is a tool that automatically generates formatted academic references in the Harvard style.

It takes in relevant details about a source -- usually critical information like author names, article titles, publish dates, and URLs -- and adds the correct punctuation and formatting required by the Harvard referencing style.

The generated references can be copied into a reference list or bibliography, and then collectively appended to the end of an academic assignment. This is the standard way to give credit to sources used in the main body of an assignment.

👩‍🎓 Who uses a Harvard Referencing Generator?

Harvard is the main referencing style at colleges and universities in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also very popular in other English-speaking countries such as South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. University-level students in these countries are most likely to use a Harvard generator to aid them with their undergraduate assignments (and often post-graduate too).

🙌 Why should I use a Harvard Referencing Generator?

A Harvard Referencing Generator solves two problems:

• It provides a way to organise and keep track of the sources referenced in the content of an academic paper.
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⚙️ How do I use MyBib's Harvard Referencing Generator?

Here's how to use our reference generator:

• If citing a book, website, journal, or video: enter the URL or title into the search bar at the top of the page and press the search button.
• Choose the most relevant results from the list of search results.
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• Then either copy the formatted reference directly into your reference list by clicking the 'copy' button, or save it to your MyBib account for later.

MyBib supports the following for Harvard style:

🍏 What other versions of Harvard referencing exist?

There isn't "one true way" to do Harvard referencing, and many universities have their own slightly different guidelines for the style. Our generator can adapt to handle the following list of different Harvard styles:

• Cite Them Right
• Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
• University of the West of England (UWE)

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

• Subject guides
• Citing and referencing

Conferences

Citing and referencing: conferences.

• In-text citations
• Reference list
• Books and book chapters
• Journals/Periodicals
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Government and other reports
• Legal sources
• Websites and social media
• Audio, music and visual media
• Dictionaries/Encyclopedias/Guides
• Theses/Dissertations
• University course materials
• Company and Industry reports
• Patents and Standards
• Tables and Figures
• Abbreviations used in referencing
• Medicine and Health sources
• Foreign language sources
• Music scores
• Journals and periodicals
• Government sources
• News sources
• Web and social media
• Games and apps
• Ancient and sacred sources
• Primary sources
• Audiovisual media and music scores
• Images and captions
• University lectures, theses and dissertations
• Interviews and personal communication
• Archival material
• In-Text Citations: Further Information
• Reference List: Standard Abbreviations
• Data Sheets (inc. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS))
• Figures & Tables (inc. Images)
• Lecture Materials (inc. PowerPoint Presentations)
• Reports & Technical Reports
• Theses and Dissertations
• Reference list guidelines
• Journal articles
• Government and industry publications
• Websites, newspaper and social media
• Conference papers, theses and university material
• Video and audio
• Images, graphs, tables, data sets
• Personal communications
• In-text Citations
• Journals / Periodicals
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Interviews and lectures
• Music Scores / Recordings
• Film / Video Recording
• Television / Radio Broadcast
• Online Communication / Social Media
• Live Performances
• Government and Organisation Publications
• Medicine & health sources
• Government/organisational/technical reports
• Images, graphs, tables, figures & data sets
• Websites newspaper & magazine articles, socia media
• Conferences, theses & university materials
• Personal communication & confidential unpublished material
• Video, audio & other media
• Generative AI
• Indigenous knowledges

MHRA Contents

• Introduction to MHRA Style
• Social media
• News Sources
• Government sources / industry reports
• Legal Sources
• Theses / dissertations
• Images: Print and Online
• Recordings: Speech / Music / Film
• Letter / Manuscript / Diary
• Play / Poem

Page contents

Conference paper, in conference proceedings, print

Note: Use this to cite and reference an individual conference paper found in a the printed conference proceedings.

Conference proceedings, published, print

Note: Use this to refer to the proceedings as a whole ‘proceedings’ means the entire collection of papers from a conference.

Conference paper, online

Note: Use this to cite and reference and individual conference paper found in a the printed conference proceedings.

Conference proceedings, online

Note:  Use this to cite and reference and individual conference paper found in a the printed conference proceedings.

• Bibliography
• More Referencing guides Blog Automated transliteration Relevant bibliographies by topics
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• Referencing guides

Conference paper: how to cite in Harvard style?

Create a spot-on reference in harvard, general rules.

Within the Harvard referencing system, a conference paper published in conference proceedings is treated as a chapter of an edited book, due to which the templates for bibliographic references are almost the same as for a book chapter .

In this case, the title of the conference proceedings is considered as the general book title; the difference from a book chapter is that the title of the proceedings also includes the date and place of the conference.

Reference template:

Author(s) , ( year ). Paper title . In: Editor(s) , ed(s). Conference title , conference date , Conference place . City of publication : Publisher . p(p).   page(s) .

For a conference abstract available online, use the following reference template:

Author(s) , ( year ). Paper title . In: Editor(s) , ed(s). Conference title , conference date , Conference place [online]. City of publication : Publisher . p(p).   page(s) . [Viewed date viewed ]. Available from: doi: DOI

If the publication does not have a DOI and is located at an ordinary URL address, modify the corresponding reference element as follows:

Available from: URL

• If no names of editors are given in the conference proceedings, the corresponding element is omitted from the reference.
• The city and country are given in the 'Conference place' element.
• The names of editors in the reference are indicated with the initials before the last name. For details, see the article on the principles of indicating authors' names according to the Harvard citation style .
• See this article for the differences between indicating a URL and a DOI.

Examples in a list of references

Bizzoni,   Y., Senaldi,   M.   S.   G. and Lenci,   A., (2017). Deep-learning the ropes: modeling idiomaticity with neural networks. In: R.   Basili, M.   Nissim and G.   Satta, eds. Proceedings of the Fourth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics CLiC-it 2017, 11–12 December 2017, Rome, Italy [online]. Torino: Accademia University Press. pp.   36–41. [Viewed 12 January 2021]. Available from: doi: 10.4000/books.aaccademia.2314

Türkmen,   R., (2016). B1 level undergraduate EFL students’ acceptance of Moodle technology. In: F.   Kılıçkaya, ed. The 5th International Conference on Language, Literature and Culture, 12 May 2016, Burdur, Turkey [online]. Burdur: Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. p.   11. [Viewed 12 January 2021]. Available from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED569939.pdf

Conference Presentation References

This page contains reference examples for works presented at conferences and meetings, including the following:

• Conference presentation
• Abstract of a conference presentation

1. Conference presentation

Evans, A. C., Jr., Garbarino, J., Bocanegra, E., Kinscherff, R. T., & Márquez-Greene, N. (2019, August 8–11). Gun violence: An event on the power of community [Conference presentation]. APA 2019 Convention, Chicago, IL, United States. https://convention.apa.org/2019-video

• Parenthetical citation : (Evans et al., 2019)
• Narrative citation : Evans et al. (2019)
• Provide the names of the presenters in the author element of the reference.
• Provide the full dates of the conference in the date element of the reference.
• Describe the presentation in square brackets after the title. The description is flexible (e.g., “[Conference session],” “[Paper presentation],” “[Poster session],” “[Keynote address]”).
• Provide the name of the conference or meeting and its location in the source element of the reference.
• If video of the conference presentation is available, include a link at the end of the reference.

2. Abstract of a conference presentation

Cacioppo, S. (2019, April 25–28). Evolutionary theory of social connections: Past, present, and future [Conference presentation abstract]. Ninety-ninth annual convention of the Western Psychological Association, Pasadena, CA, United States. https://westernpsych.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/WPA-Program-2019-Final-2.pdf

• Parenthetical citation : (Cacioppo, 2019)
• Narrative citation : Cacioppo (2019)
• To cite only the abstract of a conference presentation, include the word “abstract” as part of the bracketed description (e.g., “[Conference presentation abstract]”).

Conference presentation references are covered in the seventh edition Publication Manual Section 10.5

• Plagiarism and grammar
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Cite a Conference in Harvard

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper

Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

• Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
• Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
• Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
• Book: What have reviews said about it?
• What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
• Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
• Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
• Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
• Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
• Are there ads?
• When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
• Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
• Does the source even have a date?
• Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
• If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?
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Free Harvard Citation Generator

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• Archive material
• Chapter of an edited book
• Conference proceedings
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• Online image or video
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• Press release
• Religious text

What is the Harvard Referencing System?

The Harvard citation style is a system that students, writers and researchers can use to incorporate other people’s quotes, findings and ideas into their work in order to support and validate their conclusions without breaching any intellectual property laws. The popular format is typically used in assignments and publications for humanities as well as natural, social and behavioural sciences.

It is a parenthetical referencing system that is made up of two main components:

• In-text citations including the author’s surname and the year of publication should be shown in brackets wherever another source has contributed to your work
• A reference list outlining all of the sources directly cited in your work

While in-text citations are used to briefly indicate where you have directly quoted or paraphrased a source, your reference list is an alphabetized list of complete Harvard citations that enables your reader to locate each source with ease. Each entry should be keyed to a corresponding parenthetical citation in the main body of your work, so that a reader can take an in-text citation and quickly retrieve the source from your reference list.

Note that some universities, and certain disciplines, may also require you to provide a bibliography. This is a detailed list of all of the material you have consulted throughout your research and preparation, and it will demonstrate the lengths you have gone to in researching your chosen topic.

‘Harvard referencing’ is an umbrella term for any referencing style that uses the author name and year of publication within the text to indicate where you have inserted a source. This author-date system appeals to both authors and readers of academic work. Scholars find the format an economical way of writing, and it is generally more accessible to the reader as there are no footnotes crowding the page. Only the name of the author, the publication date of the source and, if necessary, the page numbers are included in the parenthetical citations, for example: (Joyce, 2008).

Use the Cite This For Me Harvard style referencing generator to create your fully-formatted in-text references and reference list in the blink of an eye. Stop giving yourself extra pain and work for no reason and sign up to Cite This For Me today – your only regret will be that you didn’t use our citation generator sooner!

Popular Harvard Referencing Examples

• Chapter of a book
• Conference proceedings 
• Court case 
• Dissertation 
• Encyclopedia article 
• Image online or video
• Presentation or lecture
• Video, film, or DVD

Cite This For Me Harvard Referencing Guide

The following guide provides you with everything you need to know to do justice to all your hard work and get a mark that reflects those sleepless nights. If you’re not sure how to format your Harvard style citations, what citations are, or are simply curious about the Cite This For Me citation generator, our guide will answer all of your questions while offering you a comprehensive introduction to the style. Keep reading to find out why you need to use a referencing system, how to add citations in the body of your assignment, and how to compile a reference list.

Sometimes, students do not encounter citing until they embark on to degree-level studies, yet it is a crucial academic skill that will propel you towards establishing yourself in the academic community. It’s a common mistake to leave citing and creating a complete and accurate bibliography until the very last minute, but with the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator you can cite-as-you-go.

So, if you need a helping hand with your referencing then why not try Cite This For Me’s automated citation generator ? The generator accesses knowledge from across the web, assembling all of the relevant information into a fully-formatted reference list that clearly presents all of the sources that have contributed to your work. Using this Harvard reference generator to cite your sources enables you to cross the finishing line in style.

It is important to bear in mind that there is a plethora of different citation styles out there – the use of any particular one depends on the preference of your college, subject, professor or the publication you are submitting the work to. If you’re unsure which style you should be using, consult your tutor and follow their guidelines. If your lecturer or department does not ask you to use a particular style, we recommend using the Harvard referencing system because it is simple to use and easy to learn.

The powerful citation generator above can auto-generate citations in 7,000+ styles. So, whether your professor prefers that you use the MLA format , or your discipline requires you to adopt the APA citation or Chicago citation style , we have the style you need. Cite This For Me also provides citation generators and handy style guides for styles such as ASA , AMA or IEEE . To accurately create citations in a specific format, simply sign up to Cite This For Me for free and select your chosen style.

Are you struggling with citing an unfamiliar source type? Or feeling confused about whether to cite a piece of common knowledge? This guide will tell you everything you need to know to get both your parenthetical Harvard citations and reference list completed quickly and accurately.

Why Do I Need to Cite?

Harvard referencing can be a confusing task, especially if you are new to the concept, but it’s absolutely essential. In fact, accurate and complete referencing can mean the difference between reaching your academic goals and damaging your reputation amongst scholars. Simply put – referencing is the citing of sources you have utilised to support your essay, research, conference or article, etc.

Even if you are using our Harvard style citation generator, understanding why you need to cite will go a long way in helping you to naturally integrate the process into your research and writing routine.

Firstly, whenever another source contributes to your work you must give the original author the appropriate credit in order to avoid plagiarism, even when you have completely reworded the information. The only exception to this rule is common knowledge – e.g., Brazil is a country in South America. While plagiarism is not always intentional, it is easy to accidentally plagiarize your work when you are under pressure from imminent deadlines, you have managed your time ineffectively, or if you lack confidence when putting ideas into your own words. The consequences can be severe; deduction of marks at best, expulsion from college or legal action from the original author at worst. Find out more here.

This may sound overwhelming, but using our Harvard citation generator can help you avoid plagiarism and carry out your research and written work thoughtfully and responsibly. We have compiled a handy checklist to follow while you are working on an assignment.

How to avoid plagiarism:

• Formulate a detailed plan – carefully outline both the relevant content you need to include, as well as how you plan on structuring your work
• Keep track of your sources – record all of the relevant publication information as you go (e.g., If you are citing a book you should note the author or editor’s name(s), year of publication, title, edition number, city of publication and name of publisher). Carefully save each quote, word-for-word, and place it in inverted commas to differentiate it from your own words. Tired of interrupting your workflow to cite? Use our Harvard referencing generator to automate the process.
• Manage your time effectively – make use of time plans and targets, and give yourself enough time to read, write and proofread
• When you are paraphrasing information, make sure that you use only your own words and a sentence structure that differs from the original text
• Every quote or paraphrase should have a corresponding reference in the text. In addition, a full reference is needed on the final page of the project.
• Save all of your research and citations in a safe place – organise and manage your Harvard style citations

If you carefully check your college or publisher’s advice and guidelines on citing and stick to this checklist, you should be confident that you will not be accused of plagiarism.

Secondly, proving that your writing is informed by appropriate academic reading will enhance your work’s authenticity. Academic writing values original thought that analyzes and builds upon the ideas of other scholars. It is therefore important to use Harvard style referencing to accurately signpost where you have used someone else’s ideas in order to show that your writing is based on knowledge and informed by appropriate academic reading. Citing your sources will demonstrate to your reader that you have delved deeply into your chosen topic and supported your thesis with expert opinions.

Here at Cite This For Me we understand how precious your time is, which is why we created our Harvard citation generator and guide to help relieve the unnecessary stress of citing. Escape assignment-hell and give yourself more time to focus on the content of your work by using the Cite This For Me citation management tool.

Harvard Referencing Guidelines by School

• Anglia University Harvard Referencing
• Anglia Ruskin University
• Bath University
• Bournemouth University Harvard Referencing
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Cardiff University Harvard Referencing
• City University London
• Coventry University Harvard Referencing
• Cranfield Harvard
• DMU Harvard Referencing
• Durham University Business School
• Edge Hill University Harvard Referencing
• European Archaeology
• Imperial College University Harvard Referencing
• Institute of Physics
• Leeds University Harvard Referencing
• King’s College London
• LSBU Harvard Referencing
• Manchester Business School
• MMU Harvard Referencing
• Newcastle University
• Northwest University
• Oxford Brookes University
• Oxford Centre for Mission Studies
• SHU Harvard Referencing
• Staffordshire University Harvard Referencing
• Swinburne University of Technology
• The Open University
• UCA Harvard Referencing
• University of Abertay Dundee
• University of Birmingham
• University of Cape Town
• University of Gloucestershire
• University of Greenwich Harvard
• University of Hull
• University of Kent – Harvard
• University of Limerick
• University of Melbourne
• University of Northampton
• University of Sunderland
• University of Technology, Sydney
• University of West London
• UWE Harvard Referencing
• UWS Harvard Referencing
• Wolverhampton University Harvard Referencing
• York University

How Do I Create and Format In-text Harvard Style Citations?

In-text citations are the perfect way to seamlessly integrate sources into your work, allowing you to strengthen the connection between your own ideas, and the source material that you have found, with ease. It is worth noting that in-text citations must be included in your assignment’s final word count.

When adopting Harvard style referencing in your work, if you are inserting a quote, statement, statistic or any other kind of source information into the main body of your essay you should:

• Provide the author’s surname and date of publication in parentheses right after the taken information or at the end of the sentence

There are many assumptions when it comes to the information processing approach to cognition… (Lutz and Huitt, 2004).

• If you have already mentioned the author in the sentence, Harvard referencing guidelines require you to only enter the year of publication in parentheses, directly after where the author’s surname is mentioned.

In the overview of these developmental theories, Lutz and Huitt (2004) suggest that…

• If you are quoting a particular section of the source (rather than the entire work), you should also include a page number, or page range, after the date, within the parenthetical Harvard citation

“…the development of meaning is more important than the acquisition of a large set of knowledge or skills …” (Lutz and Huitt, 2004, p.8), which means that …

• Note that if the source has four or more authors, you do not need to write out all of their surnames; simply use the first author’s surname followed by the abbreviation ‘et al.’ (meaning ‘and others’).

The results showed that respondents needed to reach out to multiple health agencies in order to cover the costs of their services (Wolbeck Minke et al., 2007).

• If you are reading a source by one author and they cite work by another author, you may cite that original work as a secondary reference. You are encouraged to track down the original source – usually this is possible to do by consulting the author’s reference list – but if you are unable to access it, the Harvard referencing guidelines state that you must only cite the source you did consult as you did not actually read the original document. Include the words ‘cited in’ in the in-text citation to indicate this.

Fong’s 1987 study (cited in Bertram 1997) found that older students’ memory can be as good as that of young people…

(Fong, cited in Bertram 1997)

Why use a Harvard referencing tool? As well as saving you valuable time, the Cite This For Me generator can help you easily avoid common errors when formatting your in-text citations. So, if you’re looking for an easy way to credit your source material, simply login to your Cite This For Me account to copy, save and export each in-text Harvard citation.

How Do I Format My Reference List?

Utilizing and building on a wide range of relevant sources is one way of impressing your reader, and a comprehensive list of the source material you have used is the perfect platform to exhibit your research efforts. A reference list is always required when you cite other people’s work within your assignment, and the brief in-text Harvard style citations in your work should directly link to your reference list.

As a general rule a reference list includes every source that you have cited in your work, while a bibliography also contains any relevant background reading which you have consulted to familiarise yourself with the topic (even those sources that are never mentioned in the narrative). Your Harvard referencing bibliography should start on its own page, with the same formatting as the rest of the paper and aligned to the left with the sources listed alphabetically. Certain fields ask you to provide an annotated bibliography that includes your full citations with the addition of notes. These notes are added to further analyze the source, and can be of any length.

Many people use the terms ‘reference list’ and ‘bibliography’ interchangeably, and if you are using the Harvard reference style you may be required to provide a bibliography as well as a reference list, so be sure to check this with your tutor.

Follow these guidelines when compiling your reference list:

• Start your reference list on a new page at the end of your document
• General formatting should be in keeping with the rest of your work
• Use ‘Reference List’ as the heading
• Copy each of your full-length Harvard citations into a list
• Arrange the list in alphabetical order by the author’s last name (titles with no author are alphabetized by the work’s title, and if you are citing two or more sources by the same author they should be listed in chronological order of the year of publication)
• When there are several works from one author or source, they should be listed together but in date order – with the earliest work listed first
• Italicize titles of books, reports, conference proceedings etc. For journal articles, the title of the journal should be printed in italics, rather than the title of the journal article
• Capitalize the first letter of the publication title, the first letters of all main words in the title of a journal, and all first letters of a place name and publisher

Creating and managing your reference list with the Cite This For Me Harvard referencing generator will help improve the way you reference and conduct research.

Reference list / bibliography examples:

• Book, one author:

Bell, J. (2010) Doing your research project . 5th edn. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

• One author, book, multiple editions:

Hawking, S.W. (1998) A brief history of time: From the big bang to black holes . 10th edn. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

• Chapter in an edited book:

Jewsiewicki, B. (2010). ‘Historical Memory and Representation of New Nations in Africa’, in Diawara, M., Lategan, B., and Rusen, J. (eds.) Historical memory in Africa: Dealing with the past, reaching for the future in an intercultural context . New York: Berghahn Books, pp. 53-66.

If all information resembles a book, use the template for a book reference

If a page number is unavailable, use chapter number. URL links are not necessary, but can be useful. When including a URL, include the date the book was downloaded at the end of the Harvard citation:

Available at: URL (Downloaded: DD Month YYYY)

• More than three authors, journal article*:

Shakoor, J., et al. (2011) ‘A prospective longitudinal study of children’s theory of mind and adolescent involvement in bullying’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , 53(3), pp. 254–261. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02488.x.

• Conference papers:

Drogen, E. (2014) ‘Changing how we think about war: The role of psychology’, The British Psychological Society 2014 Annual Conference . The ICC, Birmingham British Psychological Society, 07-09 May 2014.

• Web page, by an individual:

Moon, M. (2019) Ubisoft put an official video game design course inside a video game . Available at https://www.engadget.com/2019/09/25/ubisoft-video-game-design-course/ (Accessed 19 November 2019).

• Web page, by a company or organization:

RotoBaller (2019) NFL player news . Available at https://www.rotoballer.com/player-news?sport=nfl (Accessed 17 September 2019).

For both types of web page references, the date the page was published or updated is placed in parentheses immediately following the author information. If a date is missing from the source, place (no date) next to the author’s name and make sure to include an accessed date at the end of the reference.

Are you struggling to find all of the publication information to complete a reference? Did you know that our Harvard citation generator can help you?

Time is of the essence when you’re finishing a paper, but there’s no need to panic because you can compile your reference list in a matter of seconds using the Cite This For Me Harvard style citation generator. Sign in to your Cite This For Me account to save and export your reference list.

Harvard Referencing Formatting Guidelines

Accurate referencing doesn’t only protect your work from plagiarism – presenting your source material in a consistent and clear way also enhances the readability of your work. Closely follow the style’s formatting rules on font type, font size, text-alignment and line spacing to ensure that your work is easily legible. Before submitting your work check that you have formatted your whole paper – including your reference list – according to the style’s formatting guidelines.

How to format in Harvard referencing:

• Margins: 2.5cm on all sides
• Shortened title followed by the page number in the header, aligned to the right
• Double-space the entirety of the paper
• ½ inch indentation for every new paragraph (press tab bar)
• Suggested fonts: Times New Roman, Arial and Courier New for Windows; Times New Roman, Helvetica and Courier for Mac, 12pt size. Ensure that all Harvard citations are in the same font as the rest of the work
• Reference list on a separate page at the end of the body of your work

Even when using a Harvard citation generator, always check with your professor for specified guidelines – there is no unified style for the formatting of a paper. Make sure that you apply the recommended formatting rules consistently throughout your work.

A Brief History of the Harvard Reference Style

The author-date system is attributed to eminent zoologist Edward Laurens Mark (1847-1946), Hersey professor of anatomy and director of Harvard’s zoological laboratory. It is widely agreed that the first evidence of Harvard referencing can be traced back to Mark’s landmark cytological paper (Chernin, 1988). The paper breaks away from previous uses of inconsistent and makeshift footnotes through its use of a parenthetical author-date citation accompanied by an explanatory footnote.

• Parenthetic author-year citation, page 194 of Mark’s 1881 paper:

[…] The appearance may be due solely to reflection from the body itself. (Comp. Flemming, ‘78b, p. 310.*)

• Mark’s rationale for his Harvard citational scheme:

*The numbers immediately following an author’s name serve the double purpose of referring the reader to the list (p. 591) where the titles of papers are given, and of informing him at once of the approximate date of the paper in question.

A tribute dedicated to Mark in 1903 by 140 students credits Mark’s paper with having ‘introduced into zoology a proper fullness and accuracy of citation and a convenient and uniform method of referring from text to bibliography’ (Parker, 1903). Today Harvard referencing is widely considered one of the most accessible styles and, although it originated in biology, these days it is used across most subjects – particularly in the humanities, history and social science.

The Evolution of the Harvard Referencing Style

Due to its simplicity and ease of use, the format has become one of the most widely used citation styles in the world. Unlike many citing styles there is no official manual, but institutions such as colleges offer their own unique Harvard reference style guide, and each has its own nuances when it comes to punctuation, order of information and formatting rules. Simply go to the Cite This For Me website to login to your Cite This For Me account and search for the version you need. Make sure you apply consistency throughout your work.

It is increasingly easy for writers to access information and knowledge via the internet, and in turn both the style’s guidelines and our citation generator are continually updated to include developments in electronic publishing. The Cite This For Me Harvard style citation generator currently uses the Cite Them Right 10th Edition, which has evolved in recent years to match the rapidly advancing digital age. In order to avoid plagiarism, you must be cautious about pulling information from the internet, and ensure that you accurately cite all source material used in your written work – including all online sources that have contributed to your research.

Key differences from previous Harvard referencing Cite Them Right editions:

• Previous editions required printed books and eBooks to be referenced differently – in the 10th edition, both are now referenced using the same template (if all the necessary information is available). An Ebook is considered to be the digital format of a published book (or a book that is only published in digital format) that is meant for reading on an electronic device.
• URLs are no longer a requirement for digital media if the information provided in the Harvard citation is sufficient to find the source without it. They should be included if the source is difficult to find, or pieces of source information – such as an author name – are missing.
• When a source has more than 3 authors, use the abbreviation “et al.” instead of listing each out.

These days students draw on a diverse range of digital sources to support their written work. Whether you are citing a hashtag on Instagram , a podcast or a mobile app, the Cite This For Me generator will take care of your Harvard citations, regardless of the type of source you want to cite. So don’t be held back by sources that are difficult to cite – locating unusual source material will help your work to stand out from the crowd.

How Do I Create Accurate Harvard Citations?

Creating complete and correctly formatted citations can be a challenge for many writers, especially when documenting multiple source types. Our primary goal at Cite This For Me is to offer support to students and researchers across the globe by transforming the way in which they perceive citing. We hope that after using our citation generator and reading this Harvard referencing guide, what was once considered an arduous process, will be viewed as a highly-valued skill that enhances the quality of your work.

Disheartened by the stressful process of citing? Got a fast-approaching deadline? Using the Cite This For Me fast, accessible and free generator makes creating accurate citations easier than ever, leaving more time for you to focus on achieving your academic goals.

Create a free account to add and edit each Harvard citation on the spot, import and export full projects or individual entries. Things get even easier with Cite This For Me for Chrome – an intuitive, handy browser extension that allows you to create and edit a citation while you browse the web. Use the extension on any webpage that you want to cite, and add it to your chosen project without interrupting your workflow.

The Cite This For Me citation management tool is here to help you, so what are you waiting for? Accurate Harvard citations are just a click away!

Reference List

Chernin, E. (1988) The ‘Harvard System’: A mystery dispelled. Available at: http://www.uefap.com/writing/referenc/harvard.pdf (Accessed: 4 July 2016).

Parker, G. (ed.) (1903) Mark anniversary volume. New York: Henry Holt.

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Conference proceedings

• A-Z of Harvard references
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• Page numbers and punctuation
• References with missing details
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To be made up of:

• Author/editor.
• Year of publication (in round brackets).
• Title of conference (in italics).
• Location and date of conference.
• Place of Publication.

If seen online, add:

• Available at: URL
• (Accessed: date).

In-text citation:

(Institute for Large Businesses, 1999)

Reference List:

Institute for Large Businesses (1999).  Large firms policy and research conference . University of Birmingham, December 18-19. Leeds: Institute for Large Businesses.

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