This page outlines examples for how to cite different kinds of sources using the Harvard referencing method.

ABS statistics

In-text citations

Use the full name in the first in-text reference:

(Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005)

and use the abbreviation 'ABS' in subsequent references:

(ABS 2005)

List of References

Include information in the following order:

  • name of agency as author
  • year of publication
  • title of publication (in italics)
  • catalogue number
  • name of publisher
  • place of publication.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005, New South Wales in focus, Cat. no. 1338.1, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra.

If you are viewing the information online, include:

  • date of viewing (if viewed online)
  • database name (if applicable)
  • URL (between pointed brackets).

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Internet Activity, Australia, Sep 2006, Cat. no. 8153.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, accessed 11 April 2007, https://www.abs.gov.au

Books

In-text citations

A page number is required if you are paraphrasing, summarising or quoting directly:

(Karskens 1997, p. 23)

Ward (1966, p. 12) suggests that

If you are only citing the main idea of the book:

(Karskens 1997)

List of References

Include information in the following order:

  • author's surname, and initial(s)
  • year of publication
  • title of publication (in italics and with minimal capitalisation),
  • edition (if applicable. Abbreviated as 'edn')
  • publisher
  • place of publication.

Karskens, G 1997, The Rocks: life in early Sydney, Melbourne University Press, Carlton.

Ward, R 1966, The Australian legend, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

Brochure

In-text citations

Cite the author or authoring body and date if available:

(New South Wales Dept of Primary Industries 2005)

List of References

Include as much information as available. The publisher’s name may be abbreviated if it is also the author.

New South Wales Dept of Primary Industries 2005, Saltwater recreational fishing in New South Wales: rules & regulations summary, brochure, NSWDPI, New South Wales.

E-books

In-text citations

Cite as for a printed book. An e-book usually has page numbers:

Lloyd (2005, p. 262)  or

(Lloyd 2005, p. 262).

List of References

Accessed online:

Include information in the following order:

  • author/editor name(s)
  • date of publication,
  • title of e-book (in italics),
  • publisher,
  • format (e-book),
  • accessed day month year (the date of viewing),
  • URL or Internet address (between pointed brackets).

Lloyd, CB (ed.) 2005, Growing up global: The changing transitions for adulthood in developing countries, e-book, accessed 5 May 2007, <http://www.nap.edu/books/11174/html/index.html>.

Accessed via a database:

Woodham, JM 2004, A dictionary of modern design,  Oxford University Press, e-book, accessed 25 July 2007 from Oxford Reference Online Database. 

Accessed via an ebook reader:

In-text citations

Include author/date:

(Smith 2008) or:

Smith (2008) states that ...

E-books often lack page numbers (though PDF versions may have them). If page numbers are not available on ebook readers, use the chapters instead to indicating the location of a quoted section.

List of References 

Include information in the following order:

  • author name and initial
  • year (date of e-book edition)
  • title (in italics)
  • the type of e-book version you accessed (two examples are the Kindle Edition version and the Adobe Digital Editions version).
  • accessed day month year (the date you first accessed the e-book)
  • the book's DOI (digital object identifier) or where you downloaded the e-book from (if there is no DOI).

Smith, A 2008, The Wealth of Nations, Kindle version, accessed 20 August 2010 from Amazon.com.

Smith, A 2008, The Wealth of Nations, Adobe Digital Editions version, accessed 20 August 2010, doi: 10.1036/007142363X.

Edited book collections

In-text citations (citing a chapter)

A book collection consists of a collection of articles or chapters, each by different authors, but compiled by editor(s). If you want to cite a particular article/chapter, cite the author(s) of the chapter in the text:

(Curthoys 1997, p. 25)

List of References (citing a chapter)

When you use an article/chapter from a book collection, the title of the article appears in quotations and the title of the book is italicised. 

Include information in the following order:

  • author's surname and initial
  • year of publication
  • name of article (between single quotation marks with minimal capitalisation)
  • in
  • initial(s) and surname(s) of editor(s)
  • (ed.) or (eds)
  • name of collection (the name on the title page) in italics and minimal capitalisation
  • publisher
  • place of publication
  • page range.

Curthoys, A 1997, 'History and identity', in W Hudson & G Bolton (eds), Creating Australia: changing Australian history,  Allen & Unwin, Sydney, pp. 23-38.

In-text citations (citing an entire book collection)

If you want to cite the entire book, refer to the editor(s) of the collection in the text:

(Hudson & Bolton 1997)

List of References

Hudson, W & Bolton, G (eds) 1997, Creating Australia: changing Australian history,  Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Journal articles (print)

In-text citations

If the page number is required, as it is for summarising, paraphrasing and direct quoting:

(Kozulin 1993, p. 257)

If you are citing the main idea of the article only:

(Kozulin 1993)

List of References

Include information in the following order:

  • author's surname and initial
  • year of publication
  • title of the article (between single quotation marks and with minimal capitalisation)
  • title of the journal or periodical (in italic font using maximum capitalisation)
  • volume number (vol.)
  • issue number (no.)
  • page range of the article 
  • DOI (Digital Object Identifier), if available.

Kozulin, A 1993, 'Literature as a psychological tool', Educational Psychologist, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 253-265, DOI:10.1207/s15326985ep2803_5.

What is a DOI?

A DOI (digital object identifier) is an assigned number that helps link content to it’s location on the Internet. It is therefore important, if one is provided, to use it when creating a citation.

Journal articles (published via a website)

In-text citations

Cite the author name and date.

Online journal articles (those available in web page form only) usually do not have page numbers, so instead use section or paragraph numbers. Please check with your tutor for their preferences. Sections of an article are divided by subheadings. 

(Morris 2004, sec. 3, par. 2)

List of References

Include information in the following order:

  • author(s) name and initials
  • title of the article (between single quotation marks)
  • title of the journal (in italics)
  • available publication information (volume number, issue number)
  • accessed day month year (the date you last viewed the article)
  • URL or Internet address (between pointed brackets).

Morris, A 2004, 'Is this racism? Representations of South Africa in the Sydney Morning Herald since the inauguration of Thabo Mbeki as president'. Australian Humanities Review, no. 33, accessed 11 May 2007, <http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-August-2004/morris.html>.

Rowland, TA 2015, 'Feminism from the Perspective of Catholicism', Solidarity: The Journal of Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics, vol. 5, no. 1, accessed 12 December 2015, <http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/solidarity/vol5/iss1/1>.

Government publications

In-text citations

If there is no obvious author or editor, cite the sponsoring agency as the author:

(Department of Education, Science & Training 2000)

List of References

Give the name of the ministry or agency that has issued the document:

Department of Education, Science & Training 2000, Annual Report 1999-2000, AGPS, Canberra.

Personal communication

A privately obtained interview, letter or other personal communication:

In-text citations

Include in the abbreviation 'pers. comm.' in  your text reference:

(B Daly 1994, pers. comm., 7 Aug.)

Note that the initial(s) precede the surname.

References

Details of a personal communication do not usually need to be included in the list of references as it cannot be traced by the reader. Check with your tutor or lecturer for their preferences.

Before using personal communications, ensure you have the permission of the person with whom you communicated. 

Unpublished material (thesis, manuscript, unpublished paper)

In-text citations

(Ballard 2003, p. 132)

(Fitzsimmons 2005)

List of References

When citing a thesis in the list of references: 

  • put the title between quotation marks and do not use italics
  • acknowledge the university where the thesis was undertaken.

Ballard, BA 2003, 'The seeing machine: photography and the visualisation of culture in Australia, 1890-1930', PhD thesis, University of Melbourne.

An unpublished conference paper:

Fitzsimmons, D 2005, 'Who chooses who belongs: tactics and strategies and migrant literature', paper presented at the AULLA & FILLM conference, James Cook University, Cairns, 15-19th July.

Accessed via a database:

In-text citations

Cite author, date, page number:

(Lee 2005 p. 78)

References

Include information in the following order:

  • author name and initial
  • year
  • thesis title (between single quotation marks, no italics)
  • type of thesis, e.g. MA, PhD
  • institution
  • date accessed
  • from database name.

Lee, C 2005, 'Beyond the Pink: (Post) Youth Iconography in Cinema', PhD thesis, Murdoch University, accessed 15 June 2007 from Australian Digital Thesis Program Database.

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