Harvard Style (Cite Them Right) for UK Universities 2026: Practical Citation Guide

"Harvard style" is the umbrella term for author-date citation styles widely used in UK universities, especially in business, social sciences, and many humanities programs. Cite Them Right is one widely used UK guide; Bloomsbury lists its 13th edition as published in 2025. This article gives illustrative examples and notes on university adaptations. Check the current guide and your institution's requirements before using an example in submitted work.

The common citation patterns below were checked against the Open University's public Cite Them Right Harvard quick guide. The specialist examples remain illustrative; check the complete guide and your institution's requirements before submitting work.

What "Harvard Style" Means in the UK

Unlike APA, MLA or Chicago, there is no single "Harvard style". The term refers to a family of author-date citation styles, each with subtle variations. UK universities have generally settled on Cite Them Right (Pears and Shields) as their de facto Harvard standard.

Current edition: 13th edition, Pears and Shields, Bloomsbury Academic, 2025.
Publisher: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/cite-them-right-9781350497016/
Online guide: https://www.citethemrightonline.com (subscription-based; confirm access through your university library)

Disciplines using Harvard / Cite Them Right in the UK:

• Business, management, finance, accounting
• Many social sciences (sociology, anthropology, politics)
• Some humanities (geography, environmental studies)
• Some engineering programs (alongside IEEE)
• Many vocational and applied programs

If you're in the US, "Harvard style" usually means APA, MLA or Chicago Author-Date depending on your discipline. UK-specific Harvard (Cite Them Right) is distinct from American "Harvard" usage.

Variations across UK universities

UK universities often add their own minor adaptations to Cite Them Right:

• Anglia Ruskin Harvard (Anglia Ruskin University variant)
• Manchester Harvard (University of Manchester variant)
• Sheffield Harvard (University of Sheffield variant)
• OU Harvard (Open University variant)

UWE Bristol replaced its former UWE Bristol Harvard variant with Cite Them Right Harvard in September 2026.

The variations are minor (punctuation, capitalization, date placement) but enforced by individual programs. Check your university's library referencing guide before applying generic Cite Them Right rules.

Core Cite Them Right Harvard Rules

The Cite Them Right Harvard system uses author-date in-text citations and an alphabetical reference list.

In-text citations: author-date

Reading speed declines with age in monolingual adults (Smith, 2023).

If the author is named in the sentence, only the year is in parentheses:

Smith (2023) argues that reading speed declines with age.

Direct quotes: include page numbers

"Reading speed declines after age 60 in monolingual adults" (Smith, 2023, p. 142).

For multiple page ranges:

(Smith, 2023, pp. 142-145)

Two authors

(Smith and Jones, 2023)
Smith and Jones (2023) found...

Three authors

Give all three surnames in the in-text citation:

(Smith, Jones and Brown, 2023)
Smith, Jones and Brown (2023) found...

For four or more authors, use the first surname followed by et al.:

(Smith et al., 2023)

Check the current guide for how many author names to list in the reference entry.

Group / corporate authors

First citation: full name plus abbreviation. Subsequent: abbreviation.

First: (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2024)
Then: (UNESCO, 2024)

No author

If neither a person nor an organisation is named as author, use the source title in italics. Check the specific source type in your institution's guide.

(Climate Change Report, 2024)

Multiple sources in same parenthesis

Separate sources with semicolons. Check your university guide for their ordering:

(Brown, 2022; Jones et al., 2023; Smith, 2024)

Direct quotes vs paraphrase

Page numbers required for direct quotes; recommended (but not strictly required) for paraphrases. Many UK supervisors expect page numbers for both.

Reference List: General Rules

The reference list appears at the end of the document under the heading Reference list (or sometimes "References"), on a new page, alphabetical by first author's surname.

Reference details to check:

• Alphabetical by first author's surname (or by title if no author)
• Author names: surname first for all authors
• Check the current guide and your university variant for the number of authors to list.
• For webpages, include "Available at:" and the access date; check the source template for other online items

Author names format

Smith, J. (2023)

Multiple authors:

Smith, J. and Jones, A. (2023)
Smith, J., Jones, A. and Brown, C. (2023)

For four or more authors, the Open University quick guide allows either all names or the first name with et al. in the reference list. Use one approach consistently:

Smith, J. et al. (2023)

URLs and access dates

URLs are included with the prefix "Available at:" and an access date:

Available at: https://example.com (Accessed: 19 May 2026).

This is more verbose than APA (which uses bare DOI). Cite Them Right requires the access date for all webpages.

Reference List: Examples by Source Type

Journal article

Smith, J. and Jones, A. (2023) 'Reading speed and aging in monolingual 
adults: A longitudinal study', Journal of Cognitive Aging, 45(3), 
pp. 234-251.

Format: Author(s) (Year) 'Article title', Journal title, Volume(issue), pp. pages. Add Available at: and a DOI or URL for an online article when relevant.

Article title in single quotation marks. Journal title in italics.

Book

Sherwood, L. (2019) Human physiology. 4th edn. De Boeck.

Book title in italics, sentence case. Edition in lowercase ("edn.", not "ed.").

Book chapter (edited book)

Dupuis, M. (2021) 'Chronic pain assessment', in R. Rey (ed.), Treatise
on pain. 3rd edn. Maloine, pp. 234-256.

Edited book (whole volume)

Rey, R. (ed.) (2021) Treatise on pain. 3rd edn. Maloine.

Website / webpage

World Health Organization (2024) Mental health and well-being. Available 
at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health (Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Webpages always require an access date.

Government / organization report

National Institute of Mental Health (2023) The state of mental health 
in the United States. Report NIH-23-MH-001. U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services. Available at: https://www.example.com 
(Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Thesis or dissertation

Garcia, M. (2022) Cognitive reserve and bilingualism in aging. 
PhD thesis. University of California, Berkeley.

For UK PhD thesis specifically:

Williams, S. (2022) Reading patterns in Welsh-English bilinguals. 
DPhil thesis. University of Oxford.

Conference paper

Smith, J. (2024) 'Working memory in older adults', Paper presented at 
the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, 
12-15 March.

Newspaper article (online)

Goldstein, D. (2024) 'Reading scores recover post-pandemic', The New York 
Times, 22 April. Available at: https://www.example.com 
(Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Podcast episode

Vedantam, S. (2024) The science of habits. Hidden Brain. Episode 412. 
NPR, 8 January. Available at: https://www.example.com 
(Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Video (YouTube)

TED (2023) 'How to read more books in 2023'. YouTube, 5 June. Available 
at: https://www.example.com (Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Dataset

Smith, J. (2023) Cognitive aging dataset 2010-2022. Open Science 
Framework. Available at: doi:10.NNNN/example 
(Accessed: 19 May 2026).

AI-generated content

The 13th edition includes updated guidance on AI-generated material. Consult the current Cite Them Right entry and your institution's AI policy for the required citation and disclosure; the format depends on what you used and what readers can retrieve. Keep a record of substantive prompts and responses when your institution requires it.

Social media post

@HarvardLibrary (2024) 'Reminder: in Cite Them Right Harvard, websites 
always require access dates'. Available at: 
https://www.example.com (Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Personal communication

In Cite Them Right, personal communications are NOT included in the reference list but cited in the text only:

(J. Smith, personal communication, 15 April 2024)

Paper Formatting (UK Conventions)

Cite Them Right doesn't prescribe a specific paper layout; your university's handbook governs. Common UK conventions:

Margins

1 inch (2.54 cm) on all four sides. Some universities require 1.25" left for binding.

Font

Times New Roman 12pt or Arial 11pt are most common. Some universities accept Calibri 11pt or Georgia 11pt.

Spacing

1.5 or double-spaced for body text. Reference list usually 1.5 spaced with blank lines between entries.

Indentation

First line of every paragraph: indented 0.5" or use a blank line between paragraphs (block style). Reference list: hanging indent 0.5".

Page numbers

Bottom center or top right. Sometimes preceded by your candidate number (for blind marking).

Headings

UK universities don't prescribe a specific heading hierarchy. Use consistent numbered headings (1, 1.1, 1.1.1) or styled headings (bold for level 1, italic for level 2).

Key Differences vs APA 7

Cite Them Right and APA 7 are both author-date systems, but with significant differences.

The most visible differences are: article titles in single quotes (vs no quotes in APA), and the verbose "Available at: ... (Accessed: ...)" format for URLs in Cite Them Right (vs bare URLs in APA).

Common Mistakes That Lose Marks

Five mistakes that supervisors flag most often in UK Harvard papers.

Missing access dates for websites: Cite Them Right requires access dates for ALL webpages. APA users often forget this.

Wrong article title format: Cite Them Right uses 'single quotation marks' for article titles. APA uses no quotation marks. Most common APA-to-Harvard carryover.

Wrong edition format: Cite Them Right uses "4th edn." (lowercase, no parentheses). APA uses "(4th ed.)". Watch your conversions.

Mixing university Harvard variants: if your university has a specific Harvard variant (Anglia Ruskin, Manchester, Sheffield), use it consistently. Mixing with generic Cite Them Right or APA causes inconsistency penalties.

No reference list when using citations: every in-text citation must have a corresponding reference list entry. The most common reason for "incomplete bibliography" feedback.

Reference Managers and Cite Them Right

Most reference managers support Cite Them Right:

• Zotero (free, open source): "Cite Them Right - Harvard" style; verify the installed style against the 13th edition and your university guide
• Mendeley (free, by Elsevier): Harvard styles available, may need university-specific variant
• EndNote (paid, by Clarivate): Harvard styles including Cite Them Right
• Cite Them Right Online (paid subscription, via UK university library): comprehensive tool with examples and citation generator
• Folio Student: offers Harvard source links and an editable bibliography; check generated references against your university guide

For UK universities, your library may also provide a citation generator on the library website (e.g., "Harvard Citation Generator").

Pre-Submission Checklist (UK Harvard / Cite Them Right)

• University-specific Harvard variant identified (if any)
• All in-text citations use (Author, Year) format
• Page numbers included for direct quotes (and paraphrases if requested)
• Three authors are named in text; four or more use first author + et al.
• Reference list alphabetical by first author's surname
• Article titles in 'single quotation marks'
• Book and journal titles in italics
• Edition format: "4th edn." (not "(4th ed.)")
• All webpages have "Available at: ..." + access date
• DOI link included for an online article when available
• All in-text citations match reference list entries
• Reference list on a new page, "Reference list" or "References" centered
• Hanging indent 0.5" on every entry
• AI use disclosed per institution policy
• Final proofreading complete

For full coverage of related citation standards, see our academic style guides reference. For comparison with US styles, see our APA 7 complete guide.

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FAQ

Which edition of Cite Them Right is current in 2026?
Bloomsbury published the 13th edition in 2025. Check which edition and variant your university requires.

Why isn't there a single "Harvard style"?
Because Harvard is the name of the author-date citation family, not a specific published standard like APA or MLA. Different universities adopted different variations. UK universities have largely converged on Cite Them Right, but some still maintain in-house variants.

Should I use Cite Them Right or my university's Harvard variant?
Always your university's. Most UK university library websites publish a referencing guide specifying which Harvard variant they use. If your university doesn't have one, consult the current Cite Them Right 13th edition.

Why does Cite Them Right require access dates for websites?
Webpages change frequently. The access date documents which version you consulted, allowing future readers to verify your citation. This is more rigorous than APA's bare URL approach but is the UK convention.

Do I need to include et al. in my reference list?
Check the current Cite Them Right entry and your university variant for the author threshold and reference-list format. Do not infer the reference-list rule from the in-text rule.

How do I cite ChatGPT or another AI tool in UK Harvard?
Use the AI-generated material guidance in the current Cite Them Right guide and your university's AI policy. The example and disclosure requirements depend on the material and your institution.

How is "Harvard" different from "Vancouver" in the UK?
Harvard is author-date: (Smith, 2023) in text, alphabetical reference list. Vancouver is numerical: (1) or [1] in text, numbered reference list in order of citation. UK medicine uses Vancouver; UK business and social sciences use Harvard (Cite Them Right).

Can I use Cite Them Right for a postgraduate thesis?
Yes. Cite Them Right is widely accepted for UK postgraduate work (master's and PhD). For a PhD specifically, confirm with your supervisor and your university's PhD thesis handbook; some programs prefer APA, Chicago, or a discipline-specific style.

What's the difference between Cite Them Right and Open University Harvard?
OU Harvard and Cite Them Right Harvard are separate options. Many Open University modules now use Cite Them Right Harvard; check your module guidance to see which one applies. At any other university, follow its library or department guide.

How do I cite a podcast in UK Harvard?

Vedantam, S. (2024) The science of habits. Hidden Brain. Episode 412. NPR, 8 January. Available at: https://www.example.com (Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Author/host name, year, episode title, podcast title, episode number, broadcaster, date, URL, access date.

Should I cite Wikipedia in my UK thesis?
Technically allowed in Cite Them Right, but most UK supervisors discourage Wikipedia as a primary source. Use Wikipedia to find primary sources in its references section, then cite those. If you must cite Wikipedia:

'Phonemics' (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonemics (Accessed: 19 May 2026).

Is hyphen "-" or en-dash "–" used for page ranges in Cite Them Right?
En-dash for page ranges in print Cite Them Right. Hyphen is acceptable in digital practice. Choose one and use consistently.