Cite a Book with an Editor in Harvard

Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
Published on 05/23/2025

Referencing a book with an editor in Harvard style involves using a given structure depending on the number of editors. In the work, referencing a book with a single editor, two editors, three editors, and four or more editors is outlined.

Book with One Editor

Use (ed.) to show that the person is an editor.
Use the edition if not the first edition.
The title is italicized.

Citation	*Peterson, D. (ed.) (2021) Artificial intelligence and global security. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.*
Structure	*Editor Surname, Editor Initial. (ed.) (Year) Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.*

Book with Two Editors

Use (eds.) for two editors or more.
Insert an “and” before the last editor’s name.
Insert edition only if not first.

Citation	*Martinez, J. and Wong, T. (eds.) (2022) Smart cities and digital governance. 2nd edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan.*
Structure	*Editor 1 Surname, Editor 1 Initial. and Editor 2 Surname, Editor 2 Initial. (eds.) (Year) Title. Edition. Place of Publication: Publisher.*

Book with Three Editors

Insert commas between names and “and” before last name.
Use (eds.) to indicate that there are several editors.
Insert edition only if not first.

Citation	*Sharma, R., Patel, K. and Li, M. (eds.) (2023) Technologies for sustainable agriculture. Singapore: Springer.*
Structure	*Editor 1 Surname, Editor 1 Initial., Editor 2 Surname, Editor 2 Initial. and Editor 3 Surname, Editor 3 Initial. (eds.) (Year) Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.*

Book with Four or More Editors

Use only the first editor’s name followed by et al.
Use (eds.) for two or more editors.
Et al. should be italicised.
Mention edition if it is not the first.

Citation	*Green, H.T. et al.* (eds.) (2024) Handbook of climate resilience strategies. 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.**
Structure	*Editor 1 Surname, Editor 1 Initial(s). et al. (eds.) (Year) Title. Edition. Place of Publication: Publisher.*

Alphabetize by First Editor’s Last Name in Reference List: Edited books in the reference list should be alphabetized by the first editor’s last name, just as works by authors. Edited books should not be separated.

Capitalize the First Word of Title and Subtitles Only: In Harvard referencing, use sentence case in titles. Capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon (if there is one), and proper nouns.

Do Not Include Page Numbers for Entire Books: When referencing the whole edited book, do not include page numbers in the reference. Page ranges are included only when referencing a chapter or section in the edited book.

Be Consistent in the Application of Punctuation within the Citation: Ensure that application of punctuation marks—full stops, commas, and colons—is consistent with the Harvard style. This involves applying a colon before the publisher and full stops after each constituent.

Specify Translated Editions Only If It Matters: In case it is a translated edition of a book, provide the translator’s name and specify the translation after the title but before the publication information. Less commonly used though necessary for edited compilations translated from a foreign language.

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Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)

Hannah Berry has lectured at several colleges and teaches at the WEA. Besides publishing extensively, she has taught citation skills and written multiple style guides.