How do I cite a law or statute in Harvard?

To cite a law or statute 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 law or statute citation?

The Harvard format for a law or statute is: Short Title of Act Year, c. chapter number. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

What does the in-text citation look like for a law or statute in Harvard?

In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (Equality Act 2010)

How to Cite a Law or Statute in Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Learn how to cite acts of a legislature, statutes, and codified laws 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 law or statute in your reference list:

Short Title of Act Year, c. chapter number. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Harvard Example for a Law or Statute

A complete Harvard reference for a law or statute, written by hand and checked against the official Harvard guidance for this source:

Equality Act 2010, c. 15. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

Matching in-text citation: (Equality Act 2010)

Harvard In-Text Citation

Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:

Parenthetical

(Equality Act 2010)

Narrative

Section 13 of the Equality Act 2010 defines direct discrimination...

Key Harvard Formatting Rules

Cite Them Right gives UK Acts of Parliament from 1963 onward as the short title with its year and the chapter number (c. 15), followed by the legislation.gov.uk URL and the access date.
The short title and year are in italics in the reference and in the text, and the year is part of the title, so it is not repeated in round brackets.
Name a section in your sentence (section 13 of the Equality Act 2010); the reference list entry stays the same.
Acts before 1963 add the regnal year and the collection they are printed in, and statutory instruments and devolved legislation have their own Cite Them Right formats.
Cite Them Right has no format for United States statutes, so for a US law most writers follow its UK pattern or the Bluebook form your module prescribes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your law or statute.
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 on this page are written by hand from the style's own published guidance and checked against it, because the general CSL styles do not encode this source's rules. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.

Metadata to collect

the act’s official short title, including its year
the code title number and section number
the year of the code edition you consulted
the public law number and Statutes at Large citation, or the UK chapter number
the official database or URL you used

Common metadata traps

A code citation such as 42 U.S.C. § 12101 points to a section, so check that the section you name is the one that contains the words you quote or paraphrase.
The year in a code citation belongs to the edition of the code, not to the year the act was passed, and the act’s own year is already in its name.
A statute is not a government report or a court decision: do not add an author or a court, and use the dedicated formats for reports and cases instead.

Editorial sources

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a law or statute in Harvard?: To cite a law or statute 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 law or statute citation?: The Harvard format for a law or statute is: Short Title of Act Year, c. chapter number. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
What does the in-text citation look like for a law or statute in Harvard?: In Harvard, the in-text citation for the example above is (Equality Act 2010)