How to Cite a Report in Harvard Referencing

This guide explains how to format a report citation in Harvard Referencing. Follow the format template below, refer to the real example, and use the step-by-step instructions to build your citation correctly.

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a report in Harvard Referencing:

Template

Author or Organisation (Year) Title of report. Report number. Place: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

In-text citation

(National Institute of Mental Health, 2022)

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Reference list entry

National Institute of Mental Health (2022) Technology and the future of mental health treatment. NIH Publication No. 22-MH-8138. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/technology-and-the-future-of-mental-health-treatment (Accessed: 28 March 2026).

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Identify the author
Use the individual author(s) or the full organisational name.
2
Add the year
Place the year of publication in parentheses.
3
Write the report title
Italicise the report title using sentence case. Follow with a full stop.
4
Include the report number
If a report number is available, include it after the title.
5
Add place, publisher, and URL
Write the place of publication and publisher. For online reports, add 'Available at:' and the URL with an access date.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to italicise the report title.
Omitting the report number when one is assigned.
Not including the place of publication.
Leaving out 'Available at:' before the URL for online reports.
Using abbreviations for the organisational author instead of the full name.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a government report in Harvard?

Use the government agency as the author and the parent department as the publisher. Include the report number if available. Example: National Center for Education Statistics (2022) Digest of education statistics. NCES 2023-009. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

Do I include an access date for reports in Harvard?

Yes, if you accessed the report online. Harvard style requires an access date for all web-based sources, formatted as '(Accessed: Day Month Year).'

What if the author and publisher are the same organisation?

In Harvard, you typically still include the publisher in the reference. If the organisation is both author and publisher, repeat the name in the publisher position: WHO (2023) Title. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your report:

Author(s) or Organization
Year of publication
Title of report
Report number (if applicable)
Publisher or issuing organization
URL or DOI

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Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Reference list entry

Step-by-Step Guide

Identify the author

Use the individual author(s) or the full organisational name.

Add the year

Place the year of publication in parentheses.

Write the report title

Italicise the report title using sentence case. Follow with a full stop.

Include the report number

If a report number is available, include it after the title.

Add place, publisher, and URL

Write the place of publication and publisher. For online reports, add 'Available at:' and the URL with an access date.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a government report in Harvard?

Do I include an access date for reports in Harvard?

Yes, if you accessed the report online. Harvard style requires an access date for all web-based sources, formatted as '(Accessed: Day Month Year).'

What if the author and publisher are the same organisation?