Harvard referencing generator that follows your university's guide
There is no single Harvard style. Universities each publish their own version, with small differences in brackets, italics and "Available at". This prompt has your todo.is agent read your university's referencing guide first, then format every source and in-text citation to match it, including secondary citations and page numbers.
The prompt
- Reference these sources in Harvard style: [SOURCES]. Follow my university's Harvard guide: [UNIVERSITY OR GUIDE]. Read the guide first and copy its exact punctuation, italics, "Available at" and "Accessed" format. For each source give the reference and the in-text citation, with page numbers for these quotes: [QUOTES AND PAGES]. Handle secondary citations ("cited in"), organisation authors, no-date sources and same author same year (2021a, 2021b). Sort the reference list alphabetically by author, then by year. Flag anything you could not confirm. Deliver a Word file with a reference list I can paste at the end of my assignment.
What to change
- [SOURCES]: Links, DOIs, ISBNs, reports, or attach PDFs and photos of title pages.
- [UNIVERSITY OR GUIDE]: Your university name, a link to its referencing guide, or "Cite Them Right Harvard" if your course uses it.
- [QUOTES AND PAGES]: e.g. "Smith quote p. 23; NHS report p. 7", or "no direct quotes".
Example result
- Reference list (Harvard, following the Cite Them Right version)
- Adams, J. and Lin, K. (2021a) 'Patient handover errors on night shifts', *Journal of Clinical Practice*, 33(4), pp. 210–225. Available at: https://doi.org/10.0000/jcp.2021.334.
- Adams, J. and Lin, K. (2021b) *Safer handovers: a practical guide*. 2nd edn. Leeds: Northgate Health Press.
- Department of Community Health (2023) *Annual staffing report 2023*. Available at: https://www.example.gov/staffing-2023 (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- Okoro, B. (2019) *Teamwork in acute care*. London: Brightfield Press.
- Wardley Hospital Trust (no date) *Handover checklist*. Available at: https://www.example.nhs/handover (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- In-text citations
- • One or two authors: (Adams and Lin, 2021a) · Adams and Lin (2021b) argue...
- • Direct quote: "handover is the most fragile moment of care" (Okoro, 2019, p. 23)
- • Organisation: (Department of Community Health, 2023, p. 7)
- • No date: (Wardley Hospital Trust, no date)
- • Three or more authors: (Grant et al., 2022)
- Secondary citation
- You read Patel (2015) only as quoted in Okoro:
- • In text: Patel (2015, cited in Okoro, 2019, p. 41)
- • Reference list: only Okoro (2019), the source you actually read
- Rules applied from your guide
- • Year in round brackets, no full stop after it
- • Article titles in single quotation marks, journal and book titles in italics
- • "Available at:" before DOIs and URLs; "(Accessed: date)" only for web pages
- • Same author, same year: a and b by title order
- Check before you submit
- • Okoro (2019): edition not shown in the PDF; confirm on the copyright page
How to do it with todo.is
- Add your sources, your university or its guide link, and any quotes with pages.
- Send the to-do to your todo.is agent, with PDFs or photos attached.
- Copy the reference list from the Word file into your assignment.
- Keep adding sources as you write: "add these 2 to my Harvard list".
Tips for a better result
- Always name your university. Two Harvard guides can disagree on brackets, commas and "Available at".
- Only list sources you actually read. For something quoted inside another book, use a secondary citation.
- Add page numbers for every direct quote and for paraphrases of a specific passage, if your guide asks for them.
- Tell your agent to remember your university's guide, so every assignment uses the same version.
Harvard referencing generator: FAQ
- Why are there different versions of Harvard referencing? Harvard is a general author-date system, not one official style. Each university or publisher sets its own details, so always follow your own course's guide.
- How do I reference a website with no date in Harvard? Use "no date" or "n.d." (your guide will say which) in place of the year, and add the date you accessed it.
- What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography in Harvard? A reference list includes only sources you cited. A bibliography also includes sources you read but did not cite. Check which your assignment asks for.
- How do I cite a source I found inside another book? Use a secondary citation, like Patel (2015, cited in Okoro, 2019), and list only the source you actually read.
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