Harvard (Cite Them Right) · Press Release
How to cite a press release in Harvard (Cite Them Right)
A press-release citation credits an organisation's official announcement. The classic mistakes are citing a news article that rewrote the release instead of the release, and forgetting that a press release is the organisation's own claim about itself, not independent evidence.
Worked example · Harvard (Cite Them Right)
Example University opens center for research integrity (2025). Press release. Example University. Available at: https://www.example.org/press/integrity-center.
Rendered with the official Harvard (Cite Them Right) style file from a placeholder source (reserved example DOI and domain), so the format is exactly what the style produces. In text: Author-date in-text citations, for example (Author, 2021), with a reference list.
What to collect before you cite a press release
- The issuing organisation as author
- The release title
- The release date
- The URL of the release on the organisation's own site
- A release number, if the organisation uses them
Have a DOI? Generate the reference instantly
Journal articles, many books and reports carry a DOI. Paste it and get the Harvard (Cite Them Right) entry from the same engine that produced the example above.
Citing a whole thesis, not one source?
CiteDash keeps your bibliography in Harvard (Cite Them Right) automatically, verifies every citation against a real paper, and compiles to DOCX, PDF or LaTeX.
Citing a press release in Harvard (Cite Them Right): FAQ
Press release or the news story about it: which do I cite?
Cite what you read. If the fact comes from the organisation's announcement, cite the release; the news rewrite adds an interpretive layer you did not use.
How trustworthy is a press release as a source?
It is a first-party statement: authoritative about what the organisation announced, weak as independent confirmation. Say in your prose that the organisation itself is the claimant.
Who is the author when a spokesperson is quoted?
The organisation remains the author of the release. Quote the spokesperson in your text if the wording matters, but the reference credits the organisation.
What does the in-text citation look like in Harvard (Cite Them Right)?
Author-date in-text citations, for example (Author, 2021), with a reference list.
Is the example on this page hand-written?
No. It is rendered by the same citation engine and official CSL style file CiteDash uses for full thesis bibliographies, from a clearly-marked placeholder source, and a test re-renders it on every release so the page can never drift from the engine.