Harvard Reference Builder

A simple tool to help you create basic Harvard-style references for college and university work.

This tool creates a helpful starting point. Always check your lecturer's instructions, as Harvard style can vary slightly between colleges and universities.

1. Enter your source details

What type of source is it? Author or organisation Example: Nike, BBC, Kotler, P. and Keller, K. Year Use the publication year. If no date is shown, use n.d. Title Use the title of the page, book, report, article or image.

Publisher, website name or journal name Example: BBC News, Pearson, Journal of Marketing

Extra detail For books, add edition if relevant. For journal articles, add volume/issue/pages.

URL Paste the web address if the source is online.

Date accessed Use the date you looked at the source.

2. Copy your reference

Paste this into your reference list or bibliography.

Your reference will appear here.

Tip: your reference list should be in alphabetical order by author or organisation.

In-text citation builder

Use this inside your paragraph when you mention information from a source.

Author or organisation Year Page number, if quoting directly Optional. Example: 24

Your in-text citation

Your citation will appear here.

Example sentence: Social media can help brands communicate directly with customers (Author, Year).

Do I need a reference?

Answer the questions below.

Did you create the idea, words, image, statistic or information yourself? Is it common knowledge? What kind of information is it?

Answer

Your answer will appear here.

Referencing checklist before you submit

Have I referenced every statistic?
Have I referenced every theory, model or academic idea?
Have I referenced every image I did not create myself?
Have I referenced websites, reports and articles I used?
Have I used quotation marks if I copied exact words?
Have I mostly used my own words instead of copying and pasting?
Does every in-text citation appear in my reference list?
Could someone else find the source from the reference I have given?