Four Common Citation Errors in Harvard

• Written by Jennifer Sutcliffe

• Published on 11/28/2025
• Updated on 11/29/2025

1. Bibliography vs. Reference List

Harvard style is unique in that sources can be referenced in either a reference list or a bibliography. People who are new to using Harvard style may not know the difference. 

• Reference list: Gives the source for each in-text citation throughout a paper, and is a familiar feature for anyone who has used other citation formats. 
• Bibliography: Includes reference list sources plus any additional sources that the author consulted throughout the research process, even if not cited in the work. 

The type of works cited format that you use in your paper is dependent on what your teacher or publisher requires.

A bibliography and reference list in Harvard format have the same page style requirements: 

1. Title the list “References” or “Reference List.” It can also be titled “Bibliography” or “Annotated Bibliography,” as appropriate.
2. Center the title.
3. List sources cited and consulted in alphabetical order.
4. Include a hanging indent after the first line of each source.

2. Secondary References

Secondary references are sources that the author did not read but that were quoted by another source that the author did read. The secondary source that is being quoted is given an in-text citation that also references the source the author read. However, only the source that the author read is included in the reference list or bibliography.

Example Using a Journal Article Citation

Citation	Sørensen, H. (2015) ‘Managing Innovation Processes in Networks’, International Journal of Innovation Management, 19(4), pp. 550-561.
Structure	Author Surname, Initial. (Year) ‘Article title’, Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pp. Page range.

In-text citation

“According to Mulder and Dekker (2009, cited in Sørensen, 2015), open innovation helps organizations adapt more rapidly to market changes.”

One problem that can arise from using secondary references is failure to verify that the direct quote from the secondary reference is accurate in the one you read. It is best practice to return to the original source of the secondary reference to check and if it is incorrect, directly quote the original source instead.

3. No Date or Author

Some references lack a publication date and/or author. Harvard format prescribes solutions for replacing these details in both in-text citations and the reference list or bibliography.

No Date

Use “n.d.” or “no date” when there is no publication date in the source.

Citation	Junior, J.J. (no date) Jim Jam Jems. Bismarck, N.D.: Clark and Crockard.
Structure	Author Surname, Initial(s). (no date) Title of Journal. City: Publisher.

In-text citation

Example	(Junior, no date)
Structure	(Author Surname, no date)

No Author

If there is no author listed for the source, you can approach the citation in one of two ways.

1. Use “Anon.,” an abbreviation for “anonymous,” in place of the author’s name.

Citation	Anon. (1979) Child welfare services training grants, fiscal year 1978. Washington, D.C.: Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Human Development Services.
Structure	Anon. (Year) Title of document. City: Publisher.

In-text citation

Example	(Anon., 1979)
Structure	(Anon., Year)

2. Use the title of the work as the starting point of the citation in place of the author name.

Citation	Alternatives to traditional exams and papers (2018). Available at: https://citl.indiana.edu/teaching-resources/assessing-student-learning/alternatives-traditional-exams-papers/index.html (Accessed: 18 Nov 2025).
Structure	Title of webpage (Year). Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

In-text citation

Example	(Alternatives to traditional exams and papers, 2018)
Structure	(Title of webpage, Year)

4. Chapter in an Edited Book

Citing a chapter in an edited book involves a few steps that are commonly missed. It is important to note that a citation for a chapter in an edited book includes detailed information about both the chapter and the book itself, including their titles and authors. The chapter author should appear in the in-text citation.

Single Editor

Citation	Nezi, R. (2023) ‘After the crisis: EU issue voting in Greece’, in Costa Lobo, M. (ed.) The impact of EU politicisation on voting behaviour in Europe. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp. 231-250.
Structure	Chapter Author Surname, Initial. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor Surname, Initial. (ed.) Book title. City: Publisher, pp. page range.

In-text citation

Example	(Nezi, 2023)
Structure	(Chapter Author Surname, Year)

Multiple Editors

Citation	Thornton, T. (2024) ‘Philosophical understanding of mental health’, in Wright, K.M. and McKeown, M. (eds.) Essentials of mental health nursing. 2nd edn. London: Sage, pp. 249-264.
Structure	Chapter Author Surname, Initial. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor 1 Surname, Initial(s). and Editor 2 Surname, Initial. (eds.) Book title. Edition. City: Publisher, pp. page range.

In-text citation

Example	(Thornton, 2024)
Structure	(Chapter Author Surname, Year)

Multiple Authors and Editors

Citation	Lillis, T.M. and Swann, J. (2003) ‘Giving feedback on student writing’, in Coffin, C. et al. (eds.) Teaching academic writing: a toolkit for higher education. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 101-129.
Structure	Chapter Author 1 Surname, Initial(s). and Chapter Author 2 Surname, Initial. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor 1 Surname, Initial. et al. (eds.) Book title. City: Publisher, pp. page range.

In-text citation

Example	(Lillis and Swann, 2003)
Structure	(Chapter Author 1 Surname and Chapter Author 2 Surname, Year)