Good website citations do two things. They show the reader exactly which page was used, and they let someone else find the same page later. Harvard style supports both tasks with a simple pairing of in-text citation and reference list entry. The details change slightly based on the type of source.
This guide walks through the common cases you will meet. It covers standard webpages, whole sites, PDFs and reports, and pages that use a DOI instead of a long URL. It also solves tricky situations like no author or no date, plus blogs, wikis, and Facebook examples. Each section includes neat, copy-ready Harvard citations for website examples.
Table of Contents
Understanding Web Sources
Before creating citations, it helps to understand key terms:
- Website: A collection of pages under one domain. For example, bbc.co.uk is a website.
- Webpage: A single page within a website. Multiple webpages together make a website.
- Blog: A website updated regularly with posts. It differs from static websites because content changes often.
- Blog post: An individual entry on a blog. Several posts combine to create the full blog.
Harvard style treats these sources slightly differently. The citation format is mostly the same, but small adjustments ensure accuracy.
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Citing a Standard Webpage
Most of your web references will be single pages with a clear author, title, and update date. Collect five items before you format the reference: author or organisation, year (published or last updated), page title, viewed date, and URL. Use the same pattern for your in-text citation and your reference list entry.
In-text citation: (Author surname Year)
Reference list: Author surname, Initial(s) Year, Title of the webpage, Publisher (if applicable), viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example
In-text: (Beard 2006)
Reference list: Beard, M 2006, The fall of the Roman Republic, viewed 30 January 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/fallofromanrepublic_article_01.shtml.
Tips
- Use the year shown on the page; prefer “last updated” if it’s given.
- Keep titles in sentence case and match the page exactly.
- Break very long URLs at slashes if your style guide allows.
- If your department permits, you may cite the site’s main domain, stay consistent.
Citing a Webpage Authored by an Organisation
When an organisation is the author, replace the personal author’s name with the organisation’s name. If you quote or point to a numbered part, add a page or paragraph number.
In-text citation: (Organisation Year) / (Organisation Year, p. # / para. #)
Reference list: Organisation Year, Title of the webpage, Publisher (omit if same as author), viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example
In-text: (Office for National Statistics 2023)
Reference list: Office for National Statistics 2023, Population estimates for the UK, viewed 20 July 2024, https://www.ons.gov.uk.
Note: Treat the organisation as you would an individual author. Maintain consistency in naming across your citations.
Citing PDFs or Reports Online
Sometimes, certain web pages turn out to be PDF documents that must be downloaded first. It can also be a report, again, one has that to be downloaded first to be viewed. In such a case, the webpage is cited and referenced as follows:
In-text citation: (Author Year) or (Author Year, p. #)
Reference list entry: Author surname, Initial(s) Year, Title of the document, Publisher if applicable, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example (PDF):
In-text citation: (D’Amato, Henderson & Florence 2009) or (D’Amato, Henderson & Florence 2009, p. 32)
Reference list entry: D’Amato, A, Henderson, S & Florence, S 2009, Corporate social responsibility and sustainable business: a guide to leadership tasks and functions, Centre for Creative Leadership, viewed 22 January 2015, http://insights.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CorporateSocialResponsibility.pdf.
Example (Report):
In-text citation: (Gabriel et al. 2010) or (Gabriel et al. 2010, p. 24)
Reference list entry: Gabriel, M, Watson, P, Ong, R, Wood, G & Wulff, M 2010, The environmental sustainability of Australia’s private rental housing stock, AHURI Position Paper no. 125, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, viewed 25 May 2015, https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/2894/AHURI_Positioning_Paper_No125.pdf.
Tips:
- Always check if a DOI exists for PDFs, reports, or government publications.
- Include page numbers for direct quotes or specific sections.
Citing Sources with a DOI
A DOI stands for digital object identifier. It’s a form of ‘name tag’ for a document on the web. DOIs are mostly for journal articles, so that finding them from a journal database, for instance, becomes easy. However, DOIs are also assigned to government reports, PDFs and other similar document types.
In Harvard style, a government or company websites/webpages with a DOI may be cited and referenced as follows:
In-text citation: (Author Year) or (Author Year, p. #)
Reference list entry: Author surname, Initial(s) Year, Title of the document, Publisher if applicable, DOI.
Example:
In-text citation: (International Energy Agency 2020) or (International Energy Agency 2020, p. 32)
Reference list entry: International Energy Agency (IEA) 2020, Luxembourg 2020: energy policy review, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/54355dd7-en.
Notes
- For multiple items by the same body in one year, use 2020a, 2020b in both in-text and references.
- Some PDFs lack page numbers; cite a section heading or para. # in-text.
- Keep capitalisation and punctuation consistent with your Harvard guide.
- Older records may show “doi:10.xxxx”; convert to https://doi.org/ for clarity.
Citing Webpages Without an Author
Some pages credit no individual writer. In that case, treat the page title as the author. Keep the title exactly as it appears on the page, then add the year, your viewed date, and the URL.
If the site lists an organisation as responsible for the content, use the organisation in the author position instead, this section applies only when no author is named.
In-text citation: (Title of webpage Year)
Reference list entry: Title of webpage Year, Publisher (if applicable), viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (More sugar 2020)
Reference list entry: More sugar, more problems 2020, viewed 31 January 2020, https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/nutrition/more-sugar-more-problems.
Note: For an entire website without an author, use the website title in the author position.
Citing Webpages Without a Publication Date
Start by scanning the header, byline, and footer for any date stamp. Check the page’s “About” or “Updates” area if it exists. If you still cannot find a year, cite n.d. for the date and add your viewed date. That combination makes the reference transparent and traceable.
In-text citation: (Author n.d.)
Reference list entry: Author n.d., Title of document, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (Royal Institute of British Architects n.d.)
Reference list entry: Royal Institute of British Architects n.d., Shaping the future: careers in architecture, viewed 31 May 2005, http://www.careersinarchitecture.net.
Tip: Always provide the access date since the content may change as the time passes. This shows your readers when you consulted the source.
Citing an Entire Blog
If you are referencing a full blog rather than an individual post, the format is slightly different. Use the blog title in italics.
In-text citation: (Author Year)
Reference list entry: Author surname, Initial(s) Year, Title of the blog, blog, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (Strong 2016)
Reference list entry: Strong, F 2016, Sword and the script, blog, viewed 23 July 2016, http://www.swordandthescript.com.
Citing a Single Blog Post
Confirm who wrote the post (person or organisation), copy the year, capture the post title, then the blog title. Mark the post title with single quotes and italicise the blog title. Record the viewed date and include the direct URL to the post, not the blog homepage.
In-text citation: (Author Year)
Reference list entry: Author surname, Initial(s) Year, ‘Title of post’, Blog title, blog post, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (Hagon 2009)
Reference list entry: Hagon, P 2009, ‘Immediate sharing’, What’s New, blog post, viewed 10 January 2009, http://www.paulhagon.com/blog/2009/09/27/immediate-sharing.
Tip: If the blog has multiple authors, list them all separated by commas and include the year.
Citing Wiki Pages
Wikis are unique because anyone can edit them. Harvard referencing allows citations with or without authors.
With author:
In-text citation: (Author Year) or (Author Year, p. # / para. #)
Reference list entry: Author surname, Initial(s) Year, ‘Title of post’, Title of Wiki, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (Roussel 2008)
Reference list entry: Roussel, S 2008, ‘Sustainability indicators’, Coastal Wiki, viewed 25 May 2013, http://www.coastalwiki.org/wiki/Sustainability_indicators.
Without author:
In-text citation: (‘Short title’ Year)
Reference list entry: ‘Short title’ Year, Title of Wiki, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Tip: Always verify the wiki information from a reliable source if possible, as content may change.
Citing Social Media Sources
Social posts change often, so record what readers need to find the exact item: author or page name, year, a short content description in single quotes, the platform in square brackets, the viewed date, and the URL. Use the page or account name as the author if no person is listed. Harvard style provides specific guidance for social media: posts, tweets, or pages.
Facebook Post
In-text citation: (Author or Page Name Year)
Reference list entry: Author or Page Name Year, ‘Content of the post’ [Facebook post], viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (World Health Organization 2020)
Reference list entry: World Health Organization 2020, ‘Stay safe during COVID-19 by following hygiene guidelines’ [Facebook post], viewed 15 April 2020, https://www.facebook.com/WHO/posts/101579123456789.
Facebook Page
For a full page:
In-text citation: (Page Name Year)
Reference list entry: Page Name Year, Title of Facebook page, Facebook, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.
Example:
In-text citation: (NASA 2023)
Reference list entry: NASA 2023, NASA, Facebook, viewed 1 September 2023, https://www.facebook.com/NASA.
Quick Reference Table for Harvard Website Citations
| Source Type | In-text Citation | Reference List Entry Example |
|---|---|---|
| Webpage | (Author Year) | Author, Initial(s) Year, Title of webpage, Publisher, viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
| Webpage by Organisation | (Organisation Year) | Organisation Year, Title of webpage, Publisher, viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
| PDF / Report | (Author Year) | Author, Initial(s) Year, Title of document, Publisher, viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
| Blog | (Author Year) | Author, Initial(s) Year, Blog title, blog, viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
| Blog Post | (Author Year) | Author, Initial(s) Year, ‘Post title’, Blog title, blog post, viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
| Wiki Page | (Author Year) | Author, Initial(s) Year, ‘Post title’, Wiki title, viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
| Facebook Post | (Author Year) | Author Year, ‘Post content’ [Facebook post], viewed Day Month Year, <URL> |
Frequently Asked Questions
To cite a website in Harvard style:
- Author(s) Last Name, First Initial. (Year).
- Title of webpage. [Online].
- Website Name. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). Add a specific page or publication date if available. Include the retrieved date if the content might change.
A website is the collection; a webpage is one item within it. Use a webpage citation for specific content. Use a website citation only when referring to the site generally.
Treat the DOI as the stable link. Place the DOI (https://doi.org/…) in the reference list. Prefer it over a standard URL when one exists.
Line-break at slashes or before punctuation. Do not add spaces within a word. Keep the link accurate. Some guides require angle brackets; follow your local rules.
If your point relies on one entry, cite the post: post title in single quotes, blog title in italics. Cite the whole blog only for general discussion of the blog.
Confirm author or organisation, year, exact title, publisher (if shown), viewed date, and URL or DOI. Match in-text and reference list entries. Keep formatting and capitalisation consistent with your university guide.
