THE ESSENTIAL POINT
A generated reference is a starting point for review, not a guarantee that every institution will accept the format or that the source information is correct.PURPOSE OF THE SERVICE
Educational and formatting information
Harvard Reference Generator provides automated formatting tools and general educational information about Harvard-style author-date referencing.
The website does not provide legal advice, academic supervision, editorial certification, plagiarism detection, research validation or a guarantee that work will receive a particular mark or be accepted by an institution or publisher.
INSTITUTIONAL DIFFERENCES
Harvard styles vary
There is no single format used identically by every institution under the name "Harvard". Universities, departments, modules, journals and publishers may use different rules.
BEFORE SUBMISSION
Check generated references
Citation output depends on the source type selected and the information entered or retrieved. Metadata may be missing, outdated or incorrect.
Before submitting or publishing work, verify:
- author or organisation names;
- publication year;
- title and subtitle;
- edition;
- journal volume, issue and pages;
- publisher and place, where required;
- DOI or URL;
- access date, where required;
- quotation and page number; and
- consistency between in-text citations and the reference list.
USER RESPONSIBILITY
Academic responsibility
Using a generator does not remove the user's responsibility to read sources, represent them honestly, quote accurately, paraphrase properly and comply with academic-integrity rules.
A correctly formatted reference does not make a fabricated, irrelevant or misrepresented source academically acceptable.
INDEPENDENT STATUS
Third-party and university information
University requirements and third-party websites can change without notice. We try to keep guidance current but cannot guarantee that every external rule or link is updated immediately.
University names and third-party names are used for identification and commentary. Harvard Reference Generator is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Harvard University, Cite Them Right, Bloomsbury Publishing or any university unless an affiliation is expressly confirmed.
LINKED CONTENT
External links
Links to external sources are provided for convenience and verification. We do not control their content, security, accuracy, policies or availability. A link does not necessarily indicate endorsement or affiliation.
07 / CONTACT CORRECTIONS
Report an error or outdated rule
Include the relevant page, generated output and current official guidance so the issue can be checked accurately.
Harvard Reference Generator
United Kingdom