How to Cite a Journal Article in Harvard Style

Journal articles are essential sources in academic research, providing peer-reviewed scholarship across disciplines. Harvard style provides clear guidelines for citing articles from both print and online journals. This guide covers in-text citations, reference list formatting, and special cases for journal article citations in Harvard referencing.

Information to Gather

Before citing a journal article, collect:

• Author’s full name(s)
• Publication year
• Article title (in quotation marks)
• Journal title (italicized)
• Volume number
• Issue number (if available)
• Page numbers (article start and end pages)
• DOI or URL (for online articles)

This information appears on the article’s first page or in its metadata.

Basic Journal Article Format

In-Text Citation

Single author:

(Author Year, p. page)
(Smith 2024, p. 45)

Two authors:

(Smith and Jones 2024, p. 45)

Three or more authors:

(Smith et al. 2024, p. 45)

Reference List Format

General format:

Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Name, volume(issue), pp. page range.

Full example:

Thompson, E. (2024) 'Digital transformation in organizations', Journal of Business Studies, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Reference List Details

Author Names

In the reference list, include all authors. Invert the first author’s surname and initials:

Thompson, E., Chen, M., Williams, R. and Johnson, A. (2024)

Article Title

Place article titles in single quotation marks, followed by the journal name in italics:

'Digital transformation in organizations', *Journal of Business Studies*

Volume and Issue

Include volume number and issue number in parentheses. If there is no issue number, include only the volume:

Journal of Business Studies, 45(3)   [volume 45, issue 3]
Journal of Business Studies, 45      [no issue number]

Page Numbers

Include the first and last pages of the article, preceded by “pp.”:

pp. 234-256

For single page article:

p. 234

Journal Articles with DOI

When an article has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), include it at the end of the reference:

Thompson, E. (2024) 'Digital transformation in organizations', Journal of Business Studies, 45(3), pp. 234-256. https://doi.org/10.1234/jbs.2024.45.3.234

Online Journal Articles without DOI

If no DOI is available, include the URL and access date:

Thompson, E. (2024) 'Digital transformation in organizations', Journal of Business Studies, 45(3), pp. 234-256. Available at: https://www.journalofbusinessstudies.org/articles/2024/45/3/ (Accessed: 16 March 2026).

Multiple Authors in Journal Articles

Two Authors

In-text:

(Smith and Jones 2024, p. 45)

Reference list:

Smith, J. and Jones, R. (2024) 'Article title', Journal Name, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Three Authors

In-text:

(Smith, Jones and Williams 2024, p. 45)

Reference list:

Smith, J., Jones, R. and Williams, K. (2024) 'Article title', Journal Name, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Four or More Authors

In-text (after first mention):

(Smith et al. 2024, p. 45)

Reference list (list all authors):

Smith, J., Jones, R., Williams, K. and Brown, A. (2024) 'Article title', Journal Name, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Special Cases

No Author Listed

When an article has no identified author, begin with the article title:

In-text:

('Article Title' 2024, p. 45)

Reference list:

'Article title' (2024) Journal Name, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Journal as Author

Sometimes the journal or organization serves as the author:

Reference list:

Journal Name (2024) 'Article title', Journal Name, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Translated Journal Articles

Include the translator’s name:

Reference list:

Author, A. (2024) 'Article title', translated by Translator Name, Journal Name, 45(3), pp. 234-256.

Open Access and Pre-Print Articles

Open Access Journal Articles

Many open access journals are freely available online. Citation format is the same, but you may include the URL:

Author, A. (2024) 'Article title', Open Access Journal, 45(3), pp. 234-256. Available at: URL

Pre-Print Articles (ArXiv, etc.)

Pre-prints are articles made available before formal publication:

Author, A. (2024) 'Article title'. arXiv preprint. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/example

Dissertation and Thesis Articles

Some journal articles are published from dissertations. Cite as journal articles with the journal information.

Step-by-Step Citation Process

Step 1: Locate the article author(s) and full names.

Step 2: Find the publication year (from the journal’s cover or first page).

Step 3: Copy the exact article title from the journal.

Step 4: Identify the journal name as it appears on the journal cover.

Step 5: Note the volume number and issue number.

Step 6: Find the page range (first page to last page of the article).

Step 7: Collect the DOI or URL if the article is online.

Step 8: Format according to Harvard guidelines.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using straight quotes instead of single quotes around article titles
2. Forgetting italics on journal titles
3. Omitting the issue number when available
4. Using page number instead of page range (include both first and last)
5. Inconsistent author name formatting between in-text and reference list
6. Missing “pp.” before page numbers in the reference list
7. Including access dates when DOI is available (access dates for URL only)

Using Citation Generators

Citation tools supporting Harvard journal article citations:

• Mendeley: Import from journal databases and format automatically
• Zotero: Strong journal article support with DOI lookup
• EasyBib: Search by journal name, volume, and issue
• CitationMachine: Journal article template with field validation

Always verify that auto-generated citations include complete article information and correct formatting.

Practice Examples

Example 1: Standard Journal Article with DOI

In-text:

(Thompson 2024, p. 234)

Reference list:

Thompson, E. (2024) 'Digital transformation in organizations', Journal of Business Studies, 45(3), pp. 234-256. https://doi.org/10.1234/jbs.2024.45.3.234

Example 2: Multiple Authors, Online Article

In-text:

(Thompson, Chen and Williams 2024, p. 234)

Reference list:

Thompson, E., Chen, M. and Williams, R. (2024) 'Leadership approaches in global organizations', International Management Review, 52(2), pp. 145-167. Available at: https://www.internationalmgmt.org/articles/45321 (Accessed: 16 March 2026).

Example 3: Four or More Authors

In-text (first mention):

(Thompson, Chen, Williams and Johnson 2024, p. 45)

In-text (subsequent mentions):

(Thompson et al. 2024, p. 50)

Reference list:

Thompson, E., Chen, M., Williams, R. and Johnson, A. (2024) 'Collaborative research methods in science', Science Today, 38(6), pp. 234-250. https://doi.org/10.5678/st.2024.38.6.234

Example 4: Open Access Journal

In-text:

(Adams and Park 2024, p. 89)

Reference list:

Adams, J. and Park, S. (2024) 'Open access publishing in academia', Open Education Journal, 15(1), pp. 78-95. Available at: https://www.openedjournal.org/articles/2024/15/1/78-95

Mastering Journal Article Citations

Journal articles form the backbone of academic research. Correctly citing them ensures readers can access and verify your sources while demonstrating your engagement with current scholarship. Whether citing print or online articles, with DOI or URL, these Harvard guidelines ensure your citations meet academic standards.

Use our Harvard citation generator to verify your journal article citations, and consult our additional guides for other source types. With practice, journal article citations become automatic, reflecting your commitment to scholarly precision.