LibGuides: Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism: Harvard

The Harvard referencing style is one of the main styles used in National College of Ireland. It is also known as the ‘author date’ system. Several versions of the style exist, so it is important to follow NCI Harvard as outlined in this guide to ensure your references are accurate, particularly if using a reference manager or generator.

Harvard style is a two-part system so you need include references in two different places in your work - in the text and at the end in a list of references.

Only the author surname(s) and publication year are included within the text and then the full bibliographic details are provided in the list of references at the end, which is titled References.

NB: Other referencing styles such as APA or IEEE may be used by your course – check with your lecturer to confirm which style you are required to use.

When using the Harvard referencing style, a reference needs to be made at the exact point in your writing where you use or refer to information from another source. This consists of a short, basic citation (Author, Year) inserted every time you use or refer to someone else’s work in-text.

Parenthetical vs. Narrative Citations

In Harvard style, there are two different ways to use in-text citations, parenthetical and narrative:

In parenthetical citations, both the author's name and the publication date are placed in brackets (parentheses). A parenthetical citation is generally placed at the end of the sentence.
In narrative citations, the author's name is used as part of the sentence structure and only the publication year is placed in brackets directly after where the author's name is used.

Examples

Parenthetical citation:

Consideration of how the business can consistently meet the needs of customers is the basis of quality management (Cole and Kelly, 2020).

Narrative citation:

Taylor (2019) suggests that using more positive and inclusive language is key in managing diversity.

When to use et al.

“Et al.” is short for “and others” in Latin. In Harvard style, if a source has three or more authors, you can use et al. (in italics) after the first author's surname in text, see example below:

Example:

Robbins et al. (2017) note that working for a charismatic leader may motivate employees to work harder.

N.B. "Et al." is only used in-text to save space, include all author names in the corresponding reference list entry.

Using Direct Quotations

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 shown in the example below. The use of direct quotations should be kept to a minimum in your work, it is better to put information into your own words as much as possible (paraphrase).

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).

N.B. If you are paraphrasing, you do not need to include page number(s) in your in-text citation.

When using the Harvard referencing style, a reference also needs to be included in a list of references at the end of your work. A reference list provides comprehensive details of all the sources cited in the text of your written work. If a reader wants to know the full details of or access a source you have used, they can check your reference list.

As Harvard is a two-part referencing system, it is important that your in-text citations and reference list entries correspond - every source cited in the text of your work must have a corresponding entry in the reference list. It is also important to ensure that every source included in the reference list is directly cited in the text - do not include a reference for a source that you have not cited in text.

The reference list should be in alphabetical order by author surname, this makes it easier for your reader to locate a source cited in the text of your assignment. Do not number or bullet point the reference list in Harvard style.

Example Reference List:

References

Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2020) Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. 15th edn. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ncirlie/detail.action?docID=5995878 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Cole, G. A. and Kelly, P. (2020) Management: Theory and practice. 9th edn. Andover: Cengage.

Honohan, P. (2021) Is Ireland really the most prosperous country in Europe? Available at: https://www.centralbank.ie/docs/default-source/publications/economic-letters/vol-2021-no-1-is-ireland-really-the-most-prosperous-country-in-europe.pdf [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Lou, C. and Yuan, S. (2019) 'Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media', Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), pp. 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501

N.B. The components you need to include and the way a reference is formatted depends on the type of source. For example, a book is referenced differently from a journal article, so it is important that you follow the correct example below depending on the type of source you need to reference.

Harvard - Core Sources

Components of a Book Reference

Examples

Book - One author
Taylor, S. (2019) Resourcing and talent management. 7th edn. London: Kogan Page.

Book - Two authors
Cole, G. A. and Kelly, P. (2020) Management: Theory and practice. 9th edn. Andover: Cengage.

Book - Three authors
Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. and Campbell, T. T. (2017) Organizational behaviour. 2nd edn. London: Pearson.

Book - Corporate author
Project Management Institute (2017) A guide to the project management body of knowledge: PMBOK® guide. 6th edn. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

N.B. Corporate authors can be the names of companies, organisations, professional bodies, government departments etc.

Components of a Chapter of an Edited Book Reference

Examples

Chapter of an edited book – One author
Trevor-Roberts, E. (2020) 'Navigating the future of work to build meaningful careers', in Wilkinson, A. and Barry, M. (eds.) The future of work and employment. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 204-222.

Chapter of an edited book – Two authors
MacMahon, J. and O'Brien, M. (2019) 'Diversity and equality in the workplace', in Carbery, R. and Cross, C. (eds.) Human resource management. 2nd edn. London: Red Globe Press, pp. 99-119.

Whole edited book
O'Hagan, J. W. and O'Toole, F. (eds.) (2017) The economy of Ireland: Policy-making in a global context. 13th edn. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

N.B. It is best practice to reference a specific chapter of an edited book rather than the whole edited book.

Components of an eBook Reference

Examples

eBook - One author
Kuratko, D. F. (2017) Entrepreneurship: Theory, process, practice. 10th edn. Available at: https://www.vlebooks.com/vleweb/product/openreader?id=NATCOLIRE&accId=9128356&isbn=9781473745551 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

eBook – Two authors
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2020) Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. 15th edn. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ncirlie/detail.action?docID=5995878 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

eBook – Three or more authors
Saunders, M. N. K., Thornhill, A., and Lewis, P. (2023) Research methods for business students. 9th edn. Available at: https://www.vlebooks.com/product/openreader?id=NATCOLIRE&accId=9128356&isbn=9781292402734 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

eBook – Corporate author
Arthur Cox Employment Law Group (2022) Arthur Cox employment law yearbook 2021. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ncirlie/detail.action?docID=6984466 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

N.B. Corporate authors can be the names of companies, organisations, professional bodies, government departments etc.

Components of a Chapter of an Edited eBook Reference

Examples

Chapter of an edited eBook – One author
De Vauplane, H. (2021) 'Cryptocurrencies and central banks', in Madir, J. (ed.) Fintech: Law and regulation. 2nd edn. pp. 121-146. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ncirlie/detail.action?docID=6827820 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Chapter of an edited eBook – Two authors
Flynn, G. and Werhane, P. H. (2022) 'A framework for leadership and ethics in business and society', in Flynn, G (ed.) Leadership and business ethics. 2nd edn. pp. 1-9. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ncirlie/detail.action?docID=6875009 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Whole edited eBook
Wilkinson, A., Redman, T. and Dundon, T. (eds.) (2021) Contemporary human resource management: Text and cases. 6th edn. Available at: https://app.talis.com/ncirl/player#/modules/61e6654e538fc56ff09dcfcf/resources/61e6656e7db1fe3a77983e79 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

N.B. It is best practice to reference a specific chapter of an edited eBook rather than the whole edited eBook.

Components of a Journal Article Reference

Examples

Journal article – One author
Carrera, L. (2022) 'Corporate social responsibility: A strategy for social and territorial sustainability', International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 7(1), pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-022-00074-0

Journal article – Two authors
Lou, C. and Yuan, S. (2019) 'Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media', Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), pp. 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501

Journal article – Three or more authors
Sheerin, C., Hughes, C. and Garavan, T. (2020) 'Gendered practices and tacit knowledge sharing in organizations: A structuration perspective', Human Resource Development International, 23(5), pp. 542-568. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1769402

N.B. Include a DOI or a URL (Permalink) and access date in references for journal articles accessed online. See here for more information on DOI's and Permalinks.

Components of a Conference Paper Reference

Examples

Conference paper - Three or more authors
Estherita, S. A., Vasantha, S. and Sungeetha, D. (2023) ‘Artificial intelligence and HR digitalization facilitated by transformational leadership’, in 2023 Intelligent Computing and Control for Engineering and Business Systems (ICCEBS). Chennai, India, 14-15 December 2023, pp. 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCEBS58601.2023.10448700

N.B. If the location/date of a conference paper is not listed it can be omitted from the reference.

Components of a Webpage Reference

Examples

Webpage
Ali, L. (2022) Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. Available at: https://www.cipd.org/ie/knowledge/factsheets/diversity-factsheet/ [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Document from a webpage - (PDF etc.)
Honohan, P. (2021) Is Ireland really the most prosperous country in Europe? Available at: https://www.centralbank.ie/docs/default-source/publications/economic-letters/vol-2021-no-1-is-ireland-really-the-most-prosperous-country-in-europe.pdf [Accessed 30 June 2023].

N.B. If there are no author names listed on a webpage, use the company/organisation or website name as the author in the reference as it appears on the webpage (i.e. excluding the country domain .com, .ie etc.). If there is no specfic year of publication listed on a webpage use the copyright year (commonly listed at the bottom of the website) or the current year if there is no copyright year available.

Components of a News Article/Blog Reference

Examples

Online news article
Corrigan, E. (2022) 'How ethical is it to use AI in insurance?', The Irish Times, 4 May. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/special-reports/2023/05/04/how-ethical-is-it-to-use-ai-in-insurance/ [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Blog
Whelan, K. (2021) ‘Are central banks storing up a future fiscal problem?’, Karl Whelan, 16 July. Available at: https://karlwhelan.com/blog/?p=2087 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Components of a Case Study Reference

Examples

Case study
Zum Hebel, M., Gladstone, M. and Lauth, L. (2023) Coca-Cola: Rewriting the book on Christmas [Case Study]. Available at: https://www.warc.com/content/article/warc-awards-effectiveness/coca-cola-rewriting-the-book-on-christmas/150655#about-the-author [Accessed 30 June 2023].

N.B. The label [Case Study] is included after the title in a case study reference, otherwise the format is the same as a webpage reference.

Harvard - Additional Sources

Facebook/Instagram/X/LinkedIn

Components

Author Name (as it appears in post) (Year of post) Title of post (in italics) [Social Media Platform], Date and Month of post. Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].

Example

The Wall Street Journal (2024) From Wall Street Journal Opinion: Will AI become humanlike? Conscious? Not so fast. Large language models are impressive, but they are still statistical models mimicking human thinking, writes Andy Kessler [Facebook], 22 October. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/WSJ/posts/from-wall-street-journal-opinion-will-ai-become-humanlike-conscious-not-so-fast-/929918052328126/ [Accessed 10 April 2025].

Youtube etc.

Components	Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of video (in italics). Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Sinek, S. (2023) Rethinking employee empowerment and loyalty. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYPTWWcPva4 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

TV/Radio Broadcast - Online

Components	Title of Programme (in italics) (Year of broadcast) TV Channel, Date and Month of transmission, Time of broadcast. Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Today with Claire Byrne (2023) RTE Radio 1, 21 June, 10.00. Available at: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/today-with-claire-byrne/programmes/2023/0621/1390399-today-with-claire-byrne-wednesday-21-june-2023/ [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Podcast

Components	Author/Presenter Surname, Initial(s) (Year of publication) ‘Title of episode’ (in single quotation marks), Title of Podcast (in italics) [Podcast], Day Month of post. Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Hancock, C. (2023) ‘Accountability for bankers and how it will work’, Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock [Podcast], 7 June. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JKKetokSXnlmFiqGQLxGS?si=e47817e7284c48cd [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Computer Software/Programme

Components	Author (Year) Title of Programme (in italics) (Version) [Computer programme]. Distributor / or Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	TechSmith (2023) Camtasia (Version 8) [Computer programme]. Available at: https://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasia/ [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Encyclopedia/Dictionary - Print

Components	Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of encyclopedia/dictionary entry’ (in single quotation marks), Title of Encylopedia/Dictionary (in italics). Place of Publication: Publisher.
Example	Channon, D. F. (1997) ‘Globalization’, The Blackwell encyclopedia of management volume II: Strategic management. Oxford: Blackwell Business.

Encyclopedia/Dictionary - Online

Components	Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) ‘Title of encyclopedia/dictionary entry’ (in single quotation marks), Title of Encyclopedia/Dictionary (in italics). Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Prabhakar, R. (2023) ‘Corporate governance’, Encyclopaedia Britannica. Available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/corporate-governance [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Legislation - Act

Components	Country of Act. Title of the Act (in italics and including the year). No. (if any), (section of legislation if specified in-text). Place of Publication: Publisher or Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Ireland. Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997. No. 20. Available at: https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/20/enacted/en/html [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Legislation - EU Directive

Components	Title of Directive (all words in italics – should include institutional origin, year, legislation number, the date it was passed and the title). Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year]
Example	Directive 2014/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by certain large undertakings and groups. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32014L0095 [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Legal Cases/Law Reports

Components	'Name of party v. Name of party' (Year) Name of Court, case no. Database or website (in italics). Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	'Smith v. The Health Service Executive' (2013) Irish High Court, case 360. Courts Service of Ireland. Available at: https://www.courts.ie/acc/alfresco/10111491-b200-4d11-b9d5-0e2f81957bb6/2013_IEHC_360_1.pdf/pdf#view=fitH [Accessed 30 June 2023].

Thesis/Dissertation - Print

Components	Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of submission) Title of thesis/dissertation (in italics). Unpublished BA/BSc/MA/MSc/Ph.D. thesis/dissertation. Location of Institution: Institution where submitted.
Example	Connolly, P. (2003) Values and the voluntary sector: A study of the role of values in the management of Irish voluntary organisations. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. Dublin: National College of Ireland.

Thesis/Dissertation - Online

Components	Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of publication) Title of thesis/dissertation (in italics). BA/BSc/MA/MSc/Ph.D. thesis/dissertation. Place of Publication: Institution where submitted. Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Wall, L. (2022) The relationship between social media advertising factors and purchase intentions amongst millennials in Ireland: a quantitative study. MSc thesis. Dublin, National College of Ireland. Available at: https://norma.ncirl.ie/6433/1/lukewall.pdf [Accessed 30 June 2023].

N.B. It is generally not recommended to reference theses/dissertations unless commenting on their own research – it is much better practice to find the sources they have used and reference those sources directly, particularly if you are consulting a recent thesis/dissertation.

Diagram/Chart/Image/Table - Print

Components	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 if not the first). Place of Publication: Publisher.
Example	Lind, D. A., Wathen, S. A. and Marchal, W. G. (2018) Statistical techniques in business & economics. 17th edn. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Diagram/Chart/Image/Table - Online

Components	Author/Owner of Webpage (Year of publication) Title of webpage (in italics). Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example	Dixon, S. (2023) Global social networks ranked by number of users 2023. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ [Accessed 30 June 2023].

N.B. Follow the format guidelines as per the type of source from which the diagram, chart, image or table is taken, i.e. a book, eBook, webpage etc.

Lecture Notes

Components	Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year of notes) ‘Title of lecture notes/slides’ (in single quotation marks). Course Code: Module Title (in italics). Institution: Unpublished.
Example	Duggan, S. (2017) ‘Episode 2: Challenging your mindset’. HCCE: Managing Your Learning. National College of Ireland: Unpublished.

N.B. You are discouraged from directly referencing lecture notes or slides; ideally, you should be using these as a starting point to explore the books and resources discussed and highlighted in class.

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NCI LIBRARY

Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism: Harvard

Getting Started

Harvard - Core Sources

Harvard - Additional Sources

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