On this page
Updated . Example details checked against Scribner catalog, ISBN 9781501144318.
The Harvard format
Pattern
Last name, Initial. (Year) Title of book: subtitle. Edition. Publisher.
- Title in italics, with capitals only for the first word and names; the subtitle starts lowercase in Cite Them Right.
- Edition as “2nd edn” after the title.
- No place of publication in the 13th edition.
- Pages in the text with p. or pp.
A real example
Reference list entry
Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep: unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.
In-text citation
(Walker, 2017, p. 112)
When details are missing
- Editors: Last name, Initial. (ed.) or (eds).
- No date: (no date).
A second edition
Reference list entry
Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep: unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. 2nd edn. Scribner.
In-text citation
(Walker, 2017, p. 112)
Common mistakes
- “2nd ed.” Cite Them Right writes “2nd edn.”
- A full stop after the year. The year sits in parentheses with nothing after it: Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep...
Or let Format do it.
Type or paste the ISBN and Format fetches the author, title, publisher and year from Open Library. Format writes the Reference list entry and the in-text citation in Harvard, exactly as shown above, and builds the Reference list page when you export to Word or PDF. Harvard is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Do I include the city?
Not in Cite Them Right’s 13th edition. Older Harvard guides asked for it.
How do I cite an e-book?
Add “Available at:” the URL and an access date if you read it online.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Harvard
Every source kind is on the Harvard page, and every style is on How to cite.