How to Cite a Government Document in Harvard (Cite Them Right)
Learn how to cite government reports, legislation, and official documents in Harvard format (Cite Them Right). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.
Harvard Reference List Format
Here is the standard Harvard format for citing a government document in your reference list:
Agency Name (Year) Title of document. Place: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Harvard Example for a Government Document
A complete Harvard reference for a government document, formatted by the official Harvard CSL style definition — the same engine that powers the generator on this site:
Department of Education (2023) National literacy strategy. ED-2023-114. Washington, DC: Government Publishing Office. Available at: https://www.example.gov/literacy-strategy.
Matching in-text citation: (Department of Education, 2023)
Harvard In-Text Citation
Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:
Parenthetical
(Agency Name, 2024)
Narrative
Agency Name (2024) reports...
Key Harvard Formatting Rules
- Use the agency or department as the author, then the year in parentheses.
- Italicize the document title.
- Include the place of publication and publisher for print documents.
- For online documents, add 'Available at:' with the URL and the accessed date.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your government document.
- Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the Harvard (Cite Them Right) template shown above.
- Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
- Add to your reference list: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
- Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match Harvard requirements.
Evidence and review notes
Worked examples are generated by citeproc from the published CSL definition, not written by a language model. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.
CSL style record: harvard.csl
Metadata to collect
- issuing agency and parent department
- document title
- report or publication number
- publication year
- publisher, if different from the agency
- URL or DOI
Common metadata traps
- Name the agency that wrote the document, not the website that hosts it.
- Include the report number so readers can tell similar titles from the same agency apart.
Editorial sources
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a government document in Harvard?
- To cite a government document in Harvard (Cite Them Right), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
- What is the Harvard format for a government document citation?
- The Harvard format for a government document is: Agency Name (Year) Title of document. Place: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
- What does the in-text citation look like for a government document in Harvard?
- In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (Agency Name, 2024)
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