A Quick Guide to Harvard Reports | Report examples (2023)

FAQs

What is a simple example of Harvard referencing? ›

Author(s) surname(s), Initial(s). (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of journal, volume number(issue/number, or date/month of publication if volume and issue are absent), page number(s).

Author(s) of report (person or organisation) Family name, Initials Year of Publication, Title of report - italicised and sentence case, Report series name and Report number (if available), Publisher/Institution, Place of publication.

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) 'Title of article', Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference. If accessed online: Available at: DOI or URL (if required) (Accessed: date).

If the quotation is fewer than 30 words, incorporate it into a paragraph and enclose the quotation in single quotation marks. Use double quotation marks for a quote within a quote (see examples below).

Reference structure and example: Author Surname, Initials. (Publication Year) 'Article title', Newspaper/Magazine Name, Day Month Published, Page(s). Available at: URL or DOI (Accessed: date).

Author surname, initial. (Year) 'Article title', Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. page range. Thagard, P. (1990) 'Philosophy and machine learning', Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 20(2), pp. 261–276. This format is also used for journal articles which you accessed online but which are available in print too.

Introduction: Introduce your report topic and what readers will find throughout the pages. Body: The longest section of your report — compile all of your information and use data visualization to help present it. Conclusion: Different from the summary, this concludes the report body and summarizes all of your findings.

Harvard: The sentence starts with the surname of the author followed by the date and page reference in round brackets. APA: Note the punctuation is different: the date is followed by a comma and the pages are preceded by p. (p full stop no space 73.)

Can you Harvard reference at the start of a sentence? ›

Harvard style referencing is usually accompanied by strict rules for in-text citations and references. When the information taken from a text is prominent, author's last name and the year of publication should be placed at the end of the sentence.

If you are paraphrasing from one source throughout a paragraph, don't worry about putting a citation after every sentence. Putting a citation at the end of the paragraph is fine (there should be at least one citation at the end of each paragraph if the material is paraphrased).

In Harvard style, citations appear in brackets in the text. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author, the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. Up to three authors are included in Harvard in-text citations. If there are four or more authors, the citation is shortened with et al.

When you paraphrase or summarise you express somebody else's ideas or theories in your own words. Paraphrasing is not a direct quote, so there is no need to include quotation marks or page numbers. List the name(s) of the author(s) and the date of publication directly after the paraphrase.

No matter what you write, be sure that your essay is specific and descriptive. It should reveal information about you and your personal growth, and it should show Harvard University why you would be a great addition to their campus.

HARVARD uses the 'author-date' style of referencing. In-text references (generally) appear in the following format: (Author's Surname, Year of Publication, Page Number (if required)). Example: (Austen, 1813, p. 64).

Harvard style referencing is an author/date method. Sources are cited within the body of your assignment by giving the name of the author(s) followed by the date of publication. All other details about the publication are given in the list of references or bibliography at the end.

Format for Harvard Referencing

Typically, a paper that uses Harvard referencing has the following format: 2.5 cm OR 1-inch margins on all sides. Recommended fonts: Arial 12 pt or Times New Roman, with double-spacing. Title is in the center of the page just above the text.

The word count needs to be clearly and correctly stated on the title page of the assignment. Incorrectly understating the word count constitutes an assessment offence and may result in further action.

What are the 5 steps in report writing? ›

The following stages are involved in writing a report: ▪ planning your work; ▪ collecting your information; ▪ organising and structuring your information; ▪ writing the first draft; ▪ checking and re-drafting.

Formal reports contain three major components. The front matter of a formal report includes a title page, cover letter, table of contents, table of illustrations, and an abstract or executive summary. The text of the report is its core and contains an introduction, discussion and recommendations, and conclusion.

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by "p."). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14).

Author or organization. (Year of publication) Title of the online report. Place of publication: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date of access).

Photos, illustrations, or other design elements can add warmth and visual interest to your report. Choose visuals that are clear, uncluttered, and culturally appropriate for your intended audience. Visuals should reflect the subject matter of your report.

In the Harvard (author-date) System the list of references is arranged alphabetically by author's surname, year (and letter, if necessary) and is placed at the end of the work. A reference list is the detailed list of references that are cited in your work.

Long Paraphrases & Paragraphs

When paraphrasing or summarising using one source over several sentences or even a whole paragraph, cite the source in the first sentence. There is no need to cite the work again in this paragraph provided it is clear that this is the only source being paraphrased.

How do I reference a paragraph? ›

Include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference. If the author and date are introduced in the sentence as a narrative citation, then add the page number in parentheses at the end of the quote. For example, Smith (2019) demonstrated how to "..." (p. 112).

Important to remember: You DO NOT need to add an in-text citation after EVERY sentence of your paragraph.

When you write information or ideas from a source in your own words, cite the source by adding an in-text citation at the end of the paraphrased portion. Include a full in-text citation with the author name and page number (if there is one).

In-text citations are most common in the middle of a paragraph. Similar to topic sentences, paragraphs should end with a concluding sentence which restates the purpose. An in-text citation is uncommon in the final sentence.

In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses. "Here's a direct quote" (Smith 8). If the author's name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the same formatting that was used in the works cited list, such as quotation marks.

Using In-text Citation

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers, use a paragraph number.

The terms reference and citation are also often used to refer to the same thing although a citation tends to mean the part of the text within your assignment where you acknowledge the source; whilst a reference usually refers to the full bibliographic information at the end.

You need to provide a citation whenever you refer to an idea that you derived from a source. This is the case whether you use a direct quote, a paraphrase, or even just a direct or indirect mention.

Reference list citations start with Author information. Since Author information comes first, it is the first component that your readers will identify and therefore needs to tie most directly to the In-text citation.

The in-text citation should occur in the sentence where the cited material has been used: Signal phrase reference (author's name) appears within the sentence with page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Full parenthetical reference (author last name and page number) appears at the end of the sentence.

What words do you use when citing references? ›

Harvard referencing style uses references in two places in a piece of writing: in the text and in a reference list at the end. In general, each author name that appears in the text must also appear in the reference list, and every work in the reference list must also be referred to in the main text.

Author surname, initial. [username] (Year) 'Title' or text. [Website name] Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Reference: Journal Title (Year) 'Article title', Volume(Issue), pp. page numbers. Available at: URL (Accessed Day Month Year).

In Harvard style, citations appear in brackets in the text. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author, the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. Up to three authors are included in Harvard in-text citations. If there are four or more authors, the citation is shortened with et al.

Using In-text Citation

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers, use a paragraph number.

In Harvard style, when you quote directly from a source that includes page numbers, your in-text citation must include a page number. For example: (Smith, 2014, p. 33). You can also include page numbers to point the reader towards a passage that you paraphrased.

Organization Name. “Page Title.” Website Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

MLA citation style requires that writers cite a source within the text of their essay at the end of the sentence in which the source is used. The parenthetical reference should be inserted after the last quotation mark but before the period at the end of the sentence.

Paraphrasing is not a direct quote, so there is no need to include quotation marks or page numbers. List the name(s) of the author(s) and the date of publication directly after the paraphrase. Example (see above): Miller et al., 2010.

How do you cite in the first sentence? ›

Quotations or Paraphrases

A 'narrative' in-text citation incorporates the citation information within the text you are writing. Spencer (2006) notes that it is acceptable "to state the author's name at the beginning of the sentence, rather than always putting it in the parenthetical citation" (pp. 5-6).

Reference: Author/Editor Last name, Initials. (Year) Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by 'et al.