How to Cite a Report in Harvard (Cite Them Right)
Learn how to cite a report or white paper 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 report in your reference list:
Author, A.A. (Year) Title of report. Report No. xxx. Place: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Harvard Example for a Report
A complete Harvard reference for a report, formatted by the official Harvard CSL style definition — the same engine that powers the generator on this site:
Doyle, F. and Ahmed, K. (2024) The state of academic integrity. Research report RR-2024-08. Dublin: Centre for Learning Research. Available at: https://www.example.org/reports/integrity.
Matching in-text citation: (Doyle and Ahmed, 2024)
Harvard In-Text Citation
Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:
Parenthetical
(Author, Year, p. 12)
Narrative
Author (Year) reported...
Key Harvard Formatting Rules
- Italicize the report title.
- Add the report number after the title if the series uses one.
- Include the place of publication and the publishing organization.
- For online reports, 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 report.
- 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
- author or issuing organization
- report title
- report number or series
- publisher
- year
- DOI or URL
Common metadata traps
- Do not repeat the publisher when it is the same as the author.
- Include the report number so readers can tell it from similar titles in the same series.
Editorial sources
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a report in Harvard?
- To cite a report 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 report citation?
- The Harvard format for a report is: Author, A.A. (Year) Title of report. Report No. xxx. Place: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
- What does the in-text citation look like for a report in Harvard?
- In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (Author, Year, p. 12)
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