Patent

Why Patents Matter in Academic Work

Citing patents shows where an idea or device originated. It supports academic integrity and reduces plagiarism risk. In a research paper or dissertation, patents often appear in the Literature Review and sometimes in Methodology when you compare prior art.

Where Patent Details Live

Patent records are easy to track as electronic sources. You will find the bibliographic data, the abstract, and the PDF. The PDF is useful for appendices, but in Harvard Referencing Style you still cite it as a patent, not as a generic PDF.

Patent types you’ll see

• Utility: function, mechanism, or process.
• Design: look or surface configuration.
• Plant: new plant varieties.

The patent number matters

It’s the key identifier. Formats vary by office: US, EP, GB, AU, etc. Keep the prefix with the number (for example, US5121329).

Harvard Format for Patents

In-text citation

(Author/Assignee Year)
Use the corporate name if no person is listed.

Reference list entry

Author/Assignee, Initial(s). (Year). *Title of the patent*.. Patent number.
Yes, the double period after the title is part of this style here.

Harvard citation examples (core)

• In-text: (Stratasys, Inc. 1989)
• Reference list: Stratasys, Inc., (1989). Apparatus and Method for Creating Three-dimensional Objects.. US5121329.
• In-text: (Poynting 2006) — for contrast, that’s a journal article, not a patent.
• Reference list: Poynting, S. (2006). What Caused the Cronulla Riot? Race & Class, 48(1), pp.85–92.

Note: treat a patent as a patent even if the document is a PDF. Treat a journal article as a journal article even if it’s a PDF. This keeps your reference list consistent with Harvard Referencing Style.

Searching by Number

Use the patent number without commas or spaces. If an interface asks for a fixed length, add leading zeros as needed. Copy the exact title, the assignee, the year, and the office code for your citation.

Citing Standards vs Patents

Some projects cite both. Here’s a quick view.
 

Examples

• Patent in print: (Kassiou et al. 2018)
  Kassiou, M, Jorgensen, W, Munoz, L & The University of Sydney 2018. Anti-cancer compounds.. 2018900315.
• Patent in a database: (Larson, Reid & Oronsky 2018)
  Larson, C, Reid, T. R. & Oronsky, B. T. 2018. Immunomodulatory fusion proteins.. US20180134766, viewed 23 May 2018, retrieved from Scopus.
• Standard in print: (Standards Australia/New Zealand Standard 2016)
  Standards Australia 2016. Quality management systems – requirements. AS/NZS ISO 9001:2016. Standards Australia, NSW.
• Standard in a database: (Standards Australia 2018)
  Standards Australia 2018. Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment – safety requirements. AS 62368.1-2018, viewed 23 May 2018, retrieved from SAI Global database.

What Issues to Avoid

• Missing office prefix (US, EP, GB). Keep it.
• Swapping inventors with the corporate assignee. Use the name shown as the primary owner for the citation.
• Treating the PDF as a generic web file. Cite as a patent.
• Title punctuation errors. Keep the double period after the title as shown above.
• Inconsistent year. Use the year shown in the patent record you cite.

Quick Reference Card

In-text

• Single assignee: (Stratasys, Inc. 1989)
• Group or university: (The University of Sydney 2018)

Reference list

• Assignee, Initial(s). (Year). Title.. Office+Number.
• If no personal author is visible, use the organisation as author.
• Add “viewed” and source if taken from a database, as shown in the examples.

Where this Fits in Your Paper

• Literature Review: note prior art and competing solutions.
• Research Methodology: justify choice of design or process by citing foundational patents.
• Appendices: place key patent PDFs if your supervisor allows.
• Plagiarism quick guide principle: cite the patent when it influences design, logic, or interpretation.

Frequently Asked Questions