Is this citation generator free to use?

Yes. You can paste a URL, DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID or title and generate a citation without paying.

Which citation styles are supported?

APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard references are supported, along with BibTeX entries and a metadata view.

What can I paste into the generator?

You can paste a website URL, DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID or title after choosing the matching identifier type.

Can I copy the in-text citation as well as the full reference?

Yes. When an in-text citation is available, it appears below the full citation with its own copy option.

Should I double-check the result?

Yes. Compare the generated citation with your instructor's or journal's style guide, especially for page numbers, access dates and unusual source types.

Free Citation Generator

APA Harvard MLA Chicago BibTeX Metadata

Select Type

Enter source detailsPaste a DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID, title, or URL of the source you want to cite.

Your Citation

Once you select a citation style, your results will show up here.

Free to try
No complicated setup
No formatting guesswork
Your input remains private
Verified Citations

No complicated setup. No formatting guesswork. Add your source details and create a citation you can copy, save, or export. Compare free and premium features below.

Free Harvard Citation Generator: Author-Date References & In-Text Citations

Need to reference a book, journal article, website, or video the way your department expects? This Harvard citation generator turns raw source details into a properly formatted Harvard style citation in seconds, without you having to memorise where every comma and italic belongs. Enter a URL, DOI, or the source details yourself, and get a full reference list entry plus the in-text citation Harvard style requires, ready to paste straight into your work.

Generate My Citation Free View Source Types

Create citations faster
Accurate author-date formatting
Build in-text citations
Save time on formatting
Edit source details manually
Copy, save, or export

The Basics

What Is Harvard Referencing?

Harvard referencing and citation is an author-date system: the in-text citation names the author and year, and the reference list at the end spells out the rest of the source in full.

How Harvard Citation Style Works

Instead of arranging every detail by hand, you give the generator the author, year, title, and source details, and it places them in the order Harvard referencing rules expect, with the right brackets, punctuation, and italics applied automatically.

Why It Helps Your Reference List

A generator will not read your sources for you, but it does keep every entry in your reference list consistent, from the first citation in Harvard style to the last. Consistent formatting is one of the easiest marks to lose, and one of the easiest to keep.

Pick Your Source

Which Sources Can You Cite in Harvard?

Different source types carry different details, so a Harvard style citation generator needs to ask for the right fields each time.

Website

Harvard Website Citation

Use this when your source is a webpage, blog post, or online article with no fixed print edition. The reference includes the author or organisation, publication year, page title, and an access date.

Author-date formatAccess date required

Book

Harvard Book Citation

Use this for print or ebook chapters, textbooks, and edited collections. The reference records the author, year of publication, title in italics, edition where relevant, and the publisher.

Publisher requiredEdition optional

Journal Article

Harvard Journal Citation

Use this for peer-reviewed research. The reference lists the author, year, article title in single quotation marks, the journal name in italics, volume, issue, and page range.

Volume & issuePage range

Video

Harvard Video Citation

Use this for lectures, documentaries, and online video content. The reference notes the creator or channel, year uploaded, title, the platform it is hosted on, and the date you accessed it.

Platform nameAccess date

Five Simple Steps

How to Do a Citation Harvard Style

How to use Harvard citation tools without second-guessing the result, in five short steps.

Choose your source type

Select website, book, journal article, or video so the generator asks for the right details.

Paste the source details

Add a URL or DOI where you have one, or enter the author, year, and title yourself.

Check the fields

Confirm the author, year, and title are spelled and capitalised the way they appear in the original source.

Review the citation

Read the generated reference and in-text citation, and check the punctuation matches Harvard citation style.

Copy it into your work

Add the in-text citation where you refer to the source, and the full reference to your reference list.

By Source

Generate a Harvard Citation by Source Type

Website Citation Generator

Cite webpages, blogs, and digital articles in Harvard style.

Book Citation Generator

Create references for print books, ebooks, and chapters.

Journal Article Citation Generator

Generate citations for scholarly and peer-reviewed papers.

Video Citation Generator

Cite video lectures, documentaries, and online recordings.

Newspaper Article Citation Generator

Create citations for print and online newspaper articles.

Report Citation Generator

Cite research reports, white papers, and government documents.

See It In Action

Example Harvard Citations

Journal Article · Harvard

Smith, J. and Lee, A. (2023) 'Understanding AI research', Journal of Technology, 35(3), pp. 100–115.

In-text citation: (Smith and Lee, 2023)

Website · Harvard

ResearchPal (2025) How AI tools help students write better. Available at: researchpal.co (Accessed: 3 August 2026).

In-text citation: (ResearchPal, 2025)

The Payoff

Why Use Our Free Harvard Citation Generator?

Style-Accurate Formatting

Punctuation, italics, and bracket placement follow Harvard citation style rules.

Source-Type Fields

Websites, books, journals, and videos each ask for the details they actually need.

Manual Editing

Adjust any field yourself for incomplete or unusual source details.

Author-Date In-Text Citations

Every reference comes paired with the matching in-text citation Harvard style requires.

Full Reference List Output

Generated entries drop straight into your reference list in the correct order.

Bibliography Support

Keep track of sources for longer, multi-source projects.

Compare Plans

Free and Premium Features

Feature	Free Version	Premium Version
Generate Harvard citations	Yes	Yes
Full author-date reference list entries	Yes	Yes
Copy citations	Yes	Yes
Save bibliography lists	Limited	Unlimited
Export to Word or Google Docs	Limited	Yes
Bulk citation import	—	Yes

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MLA Citation Generator

Generate MLA in-text and Works Cited entries.

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Chicago Citation Generator

Build Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date citations.

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BibTeX Generator

Get ready-to-use BibTeX entries for LaTeX.

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Metadata Lookup

View a source's structured details before citing it.

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Questions Answered

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers on Harvard referencing and citation, covering setup, formatting, and everyday questions.

What is a Harvard citation generator?

A Harvard citation generator is a tool that turns source details, such as an author, year, and title, into a properly formatted Harvard reference and its matching in-text citation, so you do not have to arrange the punctuation and order by hand.

How do I use the Harvard citation generator to reference a source?

Choose the source type, then paste a URL or DOI, or fill in the author, year, and title yourself. The tool then builds the full reference and shows the in-text citation you can drop into your writing.

Is this Harvard style citation generator free to use?

Yes. Generating a Harvard citation, viewing the in-text version, and copying the result are all free. Saving longer bibliography lists and exporting to Word or Google Docs are part of the premium plan.

What is the difference between Harvard citation and Harvard referencing?

Harvard citation usually refers to the short in-text note, such as (Smith, 2024), while Harvard referencing describes the full reference list entry at the end of your document. Both follow the same author-date system.

Which source types can I cite in Harvard style with this tool?

You can currently generate Harvard references for websites, books, journal articles, and videos, with fields adjusted to match the details each source type needs.

Open a question above to reveal the next set of questions.