How to Cite a Research Paper in Harvard
Updated August 2026
Citing a research paper in Harvard comes down to one template and a handful of rules. Below: the exact author–date format, a real example produced by our citation engine, and the in-text form — or paste your source into the generator and copy the finished citation.
The Harvard format
Author, A.A. and Author, B.B. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. xx-xx.
Harvard (author–date) formats a research paper reference as shown above. A real example, generated by our citation engine:
Rasch, B. and Born, J. (2013) 'About sleep's role in memory', Physiological Reviews, 93(2), pp. 681-766.
In-text(Rasch and Born, 2013)
Finding the pieces
Or skip the hunt: Find the DOI on the paper's first page and paste it into the generator's DOI tab, and every field is filled from the source's own record — then select Harvard on the result.
- Which kind it is — journal article (journal + volume), conference paper (proceedings), preprint (arXiv/bioRxiv), or thesis
- The DOI — first page or landing page; preprints have them too
- The version — preprint, accepted manuscript, or published version of record
- Page range or article number — from the journal listing
Harvard's formatting rules at work
- All authors inverted with initials, joined by 'and' (no ampersand)
- Article titles take 'single quotation marks'; containers are italicized
- Web sources end with Available at: URL (Accessed: date) — the access date is required
- No single official manual exists — check your university's variant for local tweaks
Research Paper-specific pitfalls
- Cite the version you read — pagination and content differ between preprint and published versions
- Conference papers cite the proceedings as the container with the page range
- Theses name the institution: [Doctoral dissertation, University Name] in APA
In-text citations in Harvard
Harvard cites in the text with author and year, comma included: (Alvarez, 2024), adding a page for quotes: (Alvarez, 2024, p. 12). Three or more authors use et al.: (Harris et al., 2020). Named in your sentence, only the year is parenthesized: Alvarez (2024) argues…
No author? Use the title in italics or quotes as appropriate. No date? Harvard writes (no date), not n.d.
Building the Reference List
Every in-text citation pairs with a full entry on the Reference List page, alphabetized by author. Add each citation to your bibliography as you generate it, and the Bibliography Builder assembles and exports the finished page to Word with the title, ordering, and indentation Harvard requires.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- What's the basic Harvard format for a research paper?
- Author, A.A. and Author, B.B. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. xx-xx. — see the worked example above, generated by the same engine that powers the free citation tool.
- Can I cite the preprint if the journal version exists?
- Best practice is to read and cite the published version of record. If you genuinely used the preprint, cite the preprint — accuracy about what you read beats prestige.
- How do I cite a research paper in Harvard in-text?
- Author and year: (Alvarez, 2024), adding a page or paragraph locator for direct quotes.
- Can I get this citation in other styles too?
- Yes — every result in the generator renders APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE simultaneously. Generate once, switch styles with one click.