How-to

How to Do Harvard Referencing in LaTeX

The fix

Harvard referencing is an author-year style. In LaTeX, use biblatex: \usepackage[style=authoryear,backend=biber]{biblatex} (or a Harvard variant your university specifies), add \addbibresource{refs.bib}, cite with \textcite and \parencite, and \printbibliography. Compile with biber.

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Example

\usepackage[style=authoryear,backend=biber]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}
% ...
\textcite{smith2020} argues ...   % -> Smith (2020)
... (\parencite{smith2020}).      % -> (Smith 2020)
\printbibliography

Frequently asked questions

Is there one official Harvard style?

No. "Harvard" is a family of author-year styles that varies by university. biblatex style=authoryear is a close default; some institutions require a specific variant such as agsm. Check your guidelines.

How do I match my university Harvard variant?

Ask for the exact style name; many ship on CTAN as biblatex styles (agsm, dcu, and others). Load it via style= in biblatex, or use a provided .bst with BibTeX.

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