How to Cite a Webpage in Harvard

• Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
• Published on 05/16/2025

Correct citation of webpages in Harvard style is necessary for academic integrity as well as being able to track sources back to origin. Different kinds of webpages whether authored by people, organizations, or have no particular person and date listed, follow slightly different conventions. 

Webpage on a Website by an Author

If a webpage does have an author by name, the reference begins with their surname and initials. The year of publication or last update is in square brackets, followed by the title of the webpage in italic. A DOI if available, or the full URL (hyperlinked with https://) is included. The access date is then enclosed in square brackets.

Citation	Ward, A. (2023) NASA reveals new evidence of water on Europa. Available at: https://www.scientificameri.com/art/nasa-reveals-evidence-of-water-on-europa/ (Accessed: 16 May 2025).
Structure	Author Surname, Initial. (Year) Title of webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Webpage with a Group Author or Website Title

If the webpage is created by an organization, agency, or group rather than an individual, then use the group’s name as the author. The publication year appears in brackets followed by the title of the webpage in italics. Give the URL and date of access to the page.

Citation	World Health Organization (2023) Climate change and health. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health (Accessed: 18 January 2025).
Structure	Organization/Group Author (Year) Title of webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Webpage with No Author

Where no author or group of authors is provided and the title of the website cannot be utilized, the citation begins with the webpage title in italics. The remainder of the citation follows the standard form with the year, URL, and access date.

Citation	AI-generated art wins Colorado State Fair competition (2022). Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62734394 (Accessed: 5 February 2025).
Structure	Title of webpage (Year). Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Webpage with No Date

In case no date of publication or last update is visible, use “(no date)” in place of the year. The style is that of a group or organizational author webpage citation.

Citation	United Nations Environment Programme (no date) Global Environment Outlook – GEO-6 for Youth: Africa. Available at: https://www.unep.org/resources/global-environment-outlook-geo-6-youth-africa (Accessed: 27 March 2025).
Structure	Organization/Group Author (no date) Title of webpage. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Webpage with No Author or Title

Use this format only in exceptional circumstances when no author or title is available. Start with the URL, followed by the year (if available) and the access date. Avoid the italics and titles.

Citation	https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report (2024) (Accessed: 16 May 2025).
Structure	URL (Year) (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Use Sentence Case for Webpage Titles: In Harvard style, the webpage title must be sentence case, where only the first word of the title and proper nouns (like places, names of people, or names of organizations) are in capital letters. Do not italicise every main word, as this is not in line with Harvard guidelines. Do Not Italicise the Website Name or Publisher: Only the title of the particular webpage should be in italics. The name of the publisher, website, or organization (e.g., the BBC, United Nations, or National Geographic) must be in plain text. This makes the reference clearly distinguish the source’s title from its publisher.  Provide the Full URL Starting with “https://”: The full webpage URL must begin with https:// and should never be shortened, hyperlinked to display text, or placed behind anchor text like “Click here.” Giving the full URL allows readers to simply locate the original source. Do Not Use Square Brackets for Access Dates: In Harvard citation, the access date must be placed in round brackets, not square brackets. This distinguishes it from some other types of citations, like APA or Chicago styles, which have a propensity for employing square brackets under different circumstances.