Citing a journal article in Harvard style is very similar to citing a website. The only addition for citing a journal is that the volume number and, if available, its issue number is also included before the URL, near the end.
The Essentials
In-text
- Ideas: (Surname Year)
- Quotes or specifics: (Surname Year, p. #) or (pp. #-#)
- No pages (HTML): use paragraph marks (Surname Year, ¶#) or (para. #)
Reference list
Surname, Initial(s) Year, ‘Article title’, *Journal Title*, vol. #, no. #, pp. #-#.
Add a URL or DOI for electronic sources, plus [Accessed Day Mon. Year] if your guide asks for access dates.
Use p. for one page and pp. for a range. Place the in-text citation after the period.
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Reference Table
| Your Source | In-text | Reference List Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Print article with pages | (Author Year, p./pp.) | Author; Year; ‘Title’; Journal; vol(issue); pages |
| Online PDF with pages | (Author Year, p./pp.) | Same as print + DOI or URL + Accessed |
| HTML article, no pages | (Author Year, ¶#) | Same as print + URL + Accessed |
| In press / advance online | (Author Year) | Author; Year; ‘Title’; Journal; DOI link |
| Unpublished manuscript | (Author n.d.) | Author n.d., ‘Title’, Unpublished |
Articles with Page Numbers
In-text: Huffman (1996, p. 50) or (Huffman 1996, p. 50)
Reference list:
Huffman, LM 1996, ‘Processing whey protein for use as a food ingredient’, *Food Technology*, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 49–52.
Online Articles without Page Numbers
Use paragraphs.
In-text: (Donahue-Wallace & Chanda 2005, ¶¶4–6)
Reference list:
Donahue-Wallace, K & Chanda, J 2005, ‘A case study in integrating the best practices of face-to-face art history and online teaching’, *Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning*, vol. 7, no. 1. Available at: http://imej.wfu.edu/articles/2005/1/01/index.asp [Accessed 30 Jan. 2009].
Your guide may prefer “para.” over the pilcrow. Pick one and keep it.
In Press / Advance Online / Pre-proof
No volume or pages yet. Use the DOI.
In-text: (Rajmohan, Ramya & Varjani 2019)
Reference list:
Rajmohan, KS, Ramya, C & Varjani, S 2019, ‘Plastic pollutants: waste management for pollution control and abatement’, *Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health*. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2019.08.006.
DOI Formats
Both forms still appear.
- Pre-2011 string: doi: 10.xxxx/xxxx
- Current link: https://doi.org/xxxx
Examples
- (Iverson & Deery 1997, p. 75) –
Iverson, RD & Deery, M 1997, ‘Turnover culture in the hospitality industry’, *Human Resource Management Journal*, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 71–82, doi: 10.1111/j.1748-8583.1997.tb00290.x. - (Flores et al. 2019) –
Flores, LY, Martinez, LD, McGillen, GG & Milord, J 2019, ‘Something old and something new: future directions in vocational research with people of colour in the United States’, *Journal of Career Assessment*. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072718822461.
One Author / Two authors / Three authors
One author
- In-text: (Smith 2011) or (Smith 2011, p. 13)
- Ref: Smith, J 2011, ‘Agency and female teachers’ career decisions: a life history study of 40 women’, *Educational Management Administration & Leadership*, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 7–24.
Two authors
- In-text: (Dalton & Chrobot-Mason 2007) or Dalton and Chrobot-Mason (2007, p. 179)
- Ref: Dalton, M & Chrobot-Mason, D 2007, ‘A theoretical study of manager and employee social identity, cultural values and identity conflict management’, *International Journal of Cross Cultural Management*, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 169–83.
Three authors
- In-text: (Tetlock, Saar-Tsechansky & Macskassy 2008)
- Ref: Tetlock, PC, Saar-Tsechansky, M & Macskassy, S 2008, ‘More than words: quantifying language to measure firms’ fundamentals’, *The Journal of Finance*, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 1437–67.
Use and in running text, use & inside parentheses and in the reference list.
Four or More Authors
Use et al. in text unless your department asks for all names.
In-text: (James et al. 2009, p. 249)
Reference list (list all authors unless told otherwise):
James, KR, Hart, BT, Bailey, PCE & Blinn, DW 2009, ‘Effects of secondary salinisation on freshwater ecosystems: results from an intermittent floodplain wetland’, *Marine and Freshwater Research*, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 246–58.
Another online case:
Salleh, NHM, Siong-Hook, L, Ramachandran, S, Shuib, A & Noor, ZM 2008, ‘Asian tourism demand for Malaysia: a bound test approach’, *Contemporary Management Research*, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 351–368. Available at: http://www.cmr-journal.org/article/viewArticle/1178 [Accessed 12 Oct. 2014].
Database vs Journal Site
If you read a PDF through a database and the article shows full details (volume, issue, pages), cite it like print. Many guides do not require the database name.
If only a landing page exists, add viewed Day Mon. Year, <URL>.
Unpublished Manuscripts
Use this only for works not accepted by a journal.
Reference list:
Fendell, R n.d., ‘Training and management for primary healthcare’, Unpublished.
If a repository provides a DOI or version note (preprint), include it.
Frequently Asked Questions
To Harvard reference a journal article:
- Author(s) last name, initials.
- Year of publication.
- Article title.
- Journal name in italics.
- Volume(issue), page range.
- URL or DOI for online articles.
- Accessed date (if online).
- Arrange details in this order for accurate citation.
Follow your local guide. Many ask for [Accessed Day Mon. Year] for URLs, not always for DOIs.
If no paragraph labels exist, cite the section heading or add the closest anchor. If a PDF version is linked, use that and cite pages.
No. Add a page or paragraph marker for quotes.
Use letters: 2015a, 2015b in text and in the reference list.
