On this page
Updated . Example details checked against A List Apart, alistapart.com/article/writeliving (also the Purdue OWL MLA example).
The Harvard format
Pattern
Last name, Initial. (Year) Title of web page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
- Author as last name and initials with no spaces between initials: Bernstein, M.
- Year in parentheses, with no full stop after it.
- Title in italics, with capitals only for the first word and names.
- Available at and Accessed are required for every web page in Cite Them Right; the access date is the day you read it.
A real example
Reference list entry
Bernstein, M. (2002) 10 tips on writing the living web. Available at: https://alistapart.com/article/writeliving/ (Accessed: 3 November 2026).
In-text citation
(Bernstein, 2002)
When details are missing
- No author: start with the title in italics, then the year: 10 tips on writing the living web (2002). In the text, use the title.
- No date: write (no date) in both places: (Bernstein, no date).
- An organization as author: use its name in full: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024).
The same page with no date
Reference list entry
Bernstein, M. (no date) 10 tips on writing the living web. Available at: https://alistapart.com/article/writeliving/ (Accessed: 3 November 2026).
In-text citation
(Bernstein, no date)
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the access date. Cite Them Right asks for one on every online source without a DOI.
- Using n.d. Cite Them Right writes “no date” in full.
- Full stops between initials and a space. Cite Them Right writes Bernstein, M. and, for two initials, Hershner, S.D.
Or let Format do it.
Paste the page's link and Format reads its title, author and date where the page publishes them; check them, and fill in what the page leaves out. 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
Is there one Harvard style?
No. Harvard is a family of author-date styles, and universities publish their own versions. Format follows Cite Them Right, 13th edition, the version most UK universities use. Check your course handbook.
Where does the website name go?
Cite Them Right’s pattern for a web page has no separate website name; the URL identifies the site. Mention the site in your sentence if it matters.
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.