The Harvard referencing style is one of the main styles used in the National College of Ireland. It is also known as the ‘author date’ system. It is one of the most common systems used internationally and is frequently the standard house style for academic journals.
The Harvard style records just the author surname and publication year within the text of the written work and then provides the full bibliographic details in the list of references at the end, which is titled Bibliography.
NB: Other referencing styles such as APA or IEEE may be used by your course – please consult with your lecturer to confirm which style they require you to use.
When using the Harvard referencing style, a reference needs to be made at the point at which a source is referred to in the text of your work. This consists of a short, basic reference (Author, Year) inserted every time you use or refer to someone else’s work in-text.
Example:
“In recent years, there have been significant advances in the development of high-performance personal computers and networks” (Connolly and Begg, 2015, p. 107).
NB: When a direct quote is used, include the page number(s) the quote was taken from and add it to the in-text citation as show above. If you are paraphrasing, you do not need to include the page number(s) in your in-text citation.
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When using the Harvard referencing style, a reference needs to be made in your bibliography at the end of your work. A bibliography provides comprehensive details of the sources used throughout your written work.
If a reader wants to know the full details of a source you have used, they can refer to your bibliography.
Example:
Bibliography
Connolly, T. and Begg, C. (2015) Database systems: A practical approach to design, implementation and management. 6th edn. Boston: Pearson Education.
| Practice with CiteThemRight - Reference list using Harvard style (select Institutional Login) |
Book - Single author
| Components | Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example | Reidy, L. (2015) Make that grade: Human resource management. 4th edn. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. |
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Book - Two authors
| Components | Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example | Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P. (2013) Essentials of management information systems. 10th edn. Harlow: Pearson. |
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Book - Three or more authors
| Components | Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example | Hillier, D., Ross, S., Westerfield, R., Jaffe, J. and Jordan, B. (2016) Corporate finance. 3rd edn. London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. |
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Book - Corporate author
| Components |
Company/Corporate Name (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). Edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example |
Project Management Institute (2013) A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK* guide). 5th edn. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute. |
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NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
Book - Editor(s)
| Components |
Editor Surname, Initial(s). and Editor Surname, Initial(s). (eds.) (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example |
Lechner, F. J. and Boli, J. (eds.) (2012) The globalization reader. 4th edn. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. |
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Chapter of an edited book – Single author
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of chapter’ (in single quotation marks), in Editor Surname, Initial(s). (ed.) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher, pp. page numbers of chapter. |
| Example |
Quirke, E. T. (2006) ‘Older people in Irish mental health law’, in O’Dell, E. (ed.) Older people in modern Ireland: Essays on law and policy. Dublin: First Law, pp. 268-292. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Chapter of an edited book (select Institutional Login) | |
Chapter of an edited book – Two authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of chapter’ (in single quotation marks), in Editor Surname, Initial(s). and Editor Surname, Initial(s). Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher, pp. page numbers of chapter. |
| Example |
Harmon, C. and Newman, C. (2008) ‘Education: Market failure and government interventions’, in O’Hagan, J. and Newman, C. (eds.) The economy of Ireland: National and sectoral policy issues. 10th edn. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, pp. 316-338. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Chapter of an edited book (select Institutional Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
eBook – Single author
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Database Name. Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Dyson, J. R. (2010) Accounting for non-accounting students. 8th edn. Dawsonera. Available at: https://ezproxy.ncirl.ie:2157/abstract/9780273723011 [Accessed 13 July 2015]. |
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eBook – Two authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Database Name (in italics). Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Atrill, P. and McLaney, E. (2014) Accounting and finance for non-specialists. 9th edn. Dawsonera. Available at: https://ezproxy.ncirl.ie:2157/abstract/9781292062785 [Accessed 9 May 2018]. |
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eBook – Three or more authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of book (in italics). edition (only include if not the first). Database Name. Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2015) Research methods for business students. 7th edn. Dawsonera. Available at: https://ezproxy.ncirl.ie:2157/abstract/9781292016641 [Accessed 9 May 2018]. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Electronic Books (select Institutional Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
Journal article – Single author
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pp. page numbers of article. |
| Example |
Kouchaki, M. (2015) ‘Professionalism and moral behavior’, Business & Society, 54(3), pp. 376-385. |
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Journal article – Two authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pp. page numbers of article. |
| Example |
Furr, N. and Dyer, J. H. (2014) ‘Leading your team into the unknown: How great managers empower their organizations to innovate’, Harvard Business Review, 92(12), pp. 80-88. |
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Journal article – Three or more authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pp. page numbers of article. |
| Example |
Van der Voet, J., Kuipers, B. S. and Groeneveld, S. (2016) ‘Implementing change in public organizations: The relationship between leadership and affective commitment to change in a public sector context’, Public Management Review, 18(6), pp. 842-865. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Journal articles (select Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
eJournal article – Single author
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pp. page numbers of article, Database Name. doi: / or Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Hornungová, J. (2017) ‘Nonfinancial performance evaluation as significant area of strategic business management’, Business: Theory and Practice, 18(1), pp. 71- 78, Business Source Complete. doi: 10.3846/btp.2017.008. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Electronic article with DOI or Electronic article with URL (select Login) | |
eJournal article – Two authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pp. page numbers of article, Database Name. doi: / or Available at: url [Accessed Date Month Year]. |
| Example |
Moye, N. A. and Langfred, C. W. (2004) ‘Information sharing and group conflict: Going beyond decision making to understand the effects of information sharing on group performance’, International Journal of Conflict Management, 15(4), pp. 381-410, Emerald. doi: 10.1108/eb022919. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Electronic article with DOI or Electronic article with URL (select Login) | |
eJournal article – Three or more authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Journal (in italics), volume number(issue number), pp. page numbers of article, Database Name. doi: / or Available: at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Fini, R., Rasmussen, E., Siegel, D. and Wiklund, J. (2018) ‘Rethinking the commercialization of public science: From entrepreneurial outcomes to societal impacts’, Academy of Management Perspectives, 32(1), pp. 4-20, Business Source Complete. doi: 10.5465/amp.2017.0206. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Electronic article with DOI or Electronic article with URL (select Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
Conference paper - Three or more authors
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s)., Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of paper’ (in single quotation marks), in Title of Publication/Conference (in italics). Location of Conference, Date Month Year of Conference, pp. page numbers of conference paper, Database Name. doi: / or Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Chen, L., Rahayu, W. and Taniar, D. (2010) ‘Towards near real-time data warehousing’, in 2010 24th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications (AINA). Perth, Australia, 20-23 April 2010, pp. 1150-1157, IEEE Xplore. doi: 10.1109/AINA.2010.54. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Conference paper (select Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
Webpage
| Components |
Author of Website/Webpage (Year of publication) Title of webpage (in italics). Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Business & Finance (2015) Flexible working worth €2.5bn to Irish economy. Available at: http://businessandfinance.com/news/flexible-working-worth-e2-5bn-to-irish-economy/ [Accessed 8 September 2015]. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Webpages (select Login) | |
Document from a webpage
| Components |
Author of Website/Webpage (Year of publication) Title of document (in italics). Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Tissot, B. (2018) Providing comparable information to assess global financial stability risks. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/7870049/8597562/KS-FT-18-001-EN-N.pdf/83ac4786-c3b2-467b-a2f9-feeb630d74fe [Accessed 8 May 2018]. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Webpages with Individual authors (select Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
Newspaper article – Print
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Newspaper (in italics), Newspaper Section (if relevant, also in italics), Date and Month of publication, p. page number of article. |
| Example |
Keenan, B. (2012) ‘We are hamstrung by idiotic tax election pledge on tax rates’, Irish Independent, Business This Week, 8 November, p. 4. |
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Newspaper article – Online
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’ (in single quotation marks), Name of Newspaper (in italics), Date and Month of publication. Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Gibbons, J. (2012) ‘Steady as she goes: Global climatic denial guarantees chaotic future for all’, Irish Times, 30 November. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/steady-as-she-goes-globalclimatic-denial-guarantees-chaotic-future-for-all-1.558883 [Accessed 30 November 2012]. |
| Practice with CiteThemRight - See Online articles (select Login) | |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
Case study – Print
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). and Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of case study (in italics), case, Place of Publication: Publisher. |
| Example |
Ibarra, H. and Sackley, N. (2011) Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide (A), case, Boston, M.A.: Harvard Business School Publishing. |
Case study – Online
| Components |
Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of case study (in italics), case. Available at: url [Accessed Day Month Year]. |
| Example |
Isaacs, R. (2015) Goodbye serious: How social sells Wall's Ice Cream, case. Available at: https://www.warc.com/Content/64fcc122-cad4-4db5-b011-c9fb9beddd4a [Accessed 14 July 2015]. |
NB: See the NCI Library Referencing Guide for further details including additional sources, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
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NCI Library Referencing Guide, 5th edition |
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Check out the most recent edition of the NCI Library Referencing Guide. This guide provides further details on how to reference sources throughout your written work. You can collect a hard copy of our guide at NCI Library or access the pdf by selecting the title or the icon of the guide above. |
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As an NCI Student you have access to the online referencing tool CiteThemRight. To get started check out the following links:
*NB: You will need to login to CiteThemRight when first accessing the links above.
| Take the steps below when logging into CiteThemRight for the first time: | |
| 1 |
Go to the CiteThemRight homepage here |
| 2 |
Select 'LOGIN' button on the top right of the page |
| 3 |
Select 'National College of Ireland' from the list of institutions |
| 4 |
Use your college email as your username (x12345678@student.ncirl.ie) and your network password to sign in |
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Whilst every possible effort has been made to accurately and consistently reflect the APA, Harvard and IEEE styles in the examples provided, small errors may occur. This LibGuide is regularly revised and any errors which are identified will be rectified immediately. Please note, there are also variations within these styles regarding certain details – should your reference vary slightly from an example contained within this LibGuide, it is important that you are consistent with the variation when presenting and formatting your references, as long as it does not follow a contrary style to the one you should be using.
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