How to Format Dates in Harvard

• Tomas Elliott (Ph.D.)
• Published on 08/07/2025

Formatting dates correctly in Harvard referencing is essential for academic writing. It provides clear information about when a source was published or accessed, improving credibility and traceability. This guide explains the rules for formatting dates in Harvard style, including cases when dates are missing or when citing online sources.

Year Format

Harvard referencing uses the year only to indicate the publication date of a source. The year appears in parentheses immediately after the author’s name. This is the simplest and most common date format in Harvard style.

No Date Format

If a publication date is not available, Harvard style requires the phrase “no date” written in full. Avoid abbreviations like “n.d.” This applies both in-text and in the reference list.

Month Abbreviations Are Not Used

When including months in dates, such as access dates for online sources, months must be written in full. Harvard style does not abbreviate months (e.g., write August instead of Aug).

Access Date Format for Online Sources

When citing websites or webpages, it is mandatory to include the access date. This date shows when the source was last viewed, which is important because online content may change.

The access date must follow this format:

Day Month Year (with no ordinal suffixes such as “th,” “rd,” or “nd”).

Put the year right after the author’s name without extra commas or marks. This shows clearly when the source was published. When writing the access date for websites, don’t use commas between the day, month, and year. Keep it simple, like “12 August 2023.” If there are several years to mention, write each year fully and separately. Don’t shorten or join the years together. When adding dates in your writing, put them inside round brackets (parentheses) so readers can quickly spot the year connected to the source.