How to Cite a Journal Article in Harvard (Cite Them Right)
Learn how to cite peer-reviewed and academic journal articles 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 journal article in your reference list:
Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, volume(issue), pp. pages. doi:xxxxx.
Harvard Example for a Journal Article
A complete Harvard reference for a journal article, formatted by the official Harvard CSL style definition — the same engine that powers the generator on this site:
Rivera, M. and Chen, D. (2021) “The mapping of meaning: A study of citation practice,” Journal of Scholarly Communication, 12(3), pp. 145–162. doi:10.1000/jsc.2021.145.
Matching in-text citation: (Rivera and Chen, 2021)
Harvard In-Text Citation
Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:
Parenthetical
(Smith and Jones, 2024, p. 12)
Narrative
Smith and Jones (2024) observed...
Key Harvard Formatting Rules
- Put the article title in single quotation marks.
- Italicize the journal name.
- Include doi: if available.
- Use pp. for page ranges.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your journal article.
- 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
- authors
- article title
- journal title
- year
- volume and issue
- page range or article number
- DOI
Common metadata traps
- Confirm that the DOI resolves to the same title, authors, and version.
- Distinguish a preprint from the final version of record.
Editorial sources
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a journal article in Harvard?
- To cite a journal article 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 journal article citation?
- The Harvard format for a journal article is: Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, volume(issue), pp. pages. doi:xxxxx.
- What does the in-text citation look like for a journal article in Harvard?
- In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (Smith and Jones, 2024, p. 12)
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