How to Cite a Report in Harvard Format

Understanding Report Citations in Harvard

Reports from government agencies, institutions, organizations, and research centers are important sources in academic research. Harvard format provides clear guidelines for citing reports while acknowledging institutional contributions and enabling readers to locate these valuable sources.

Basic Report Citation Format

The standard Harvard format for reports is: Author/Organization. (Year). Report title. Publisher or Institution. Available at: URL (Accessed date).

Include the report author or issuing organization, publication year, report title in italics, the publisher or institution, and access information including URL and access date.

Government Agency Report

Citation for a federal government report:

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies. EPA Publications: Washington, DC. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/climate-reports (Accessed 15 March 2024).

Research Institution Report

For reports from university or research centers:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Climate Laboratory. (2023). Long-term climate modeling projections 2023-2050. MIT Publications: Cambridge, MA. Available at: https://climate.mit.edu/reports (Accessed 10 March 2024).

International Organization Report

For reports from UN, World Bank, or similar organizations:

World Health Organization. (2024). Global health surveillance report. WHO: Geneva. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications (Accessed 12 March 2024).

Corporate Report

For company reports and business documents:

Apple Inc. (2024). Annual sustainability report 2024. Apple Publications. Available at: https://www.apple.com/sustainability (Accessed 1 March 2024).

Report with Report Number

When a report has an official number:

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2023). Student achievement assessment 2023 (Report No. NCES 2023-456). U.S. Department of Education: Washington, DC.

Include the report number in parentheses after the title.

In-Text Citations for Reports

For in-text citations in Harvard format, use the author-date format: (Environmental Protection Agency 2024).

For corporate authors: (Apple Inc. 2024).

For in-sentence citations: “According to the EPA report (2024), climate change impacts…”

Technical Report

For academic or technical reports:

Smith, J., Johnson, M., & Williams, R. (2024). Advanced computational methods in data science (Technical Report No. 2024-01). Stanford University Computer Science Department.

White Paper Citation

For white papers and policy documents:

Thompson, S., & Lee, K. (2024). Artificial intelligence and ethics: Policy recommendations. Tech Policy Institute. Available at: https://techpolicy.org/whitepapers (Accessed 8 March 2024).

Examples for Different Report Types

Congressional Report

United States Congress House of Representatives. (2024). Investigation into technology sector practices. Government Publishing Office: Washington, DC.

Environmental Agency Report

California Environmental Quality Act. (2023). Environmental impact assessment report. State of California: Sacramento, CA. Available at: https://www.ca.gov/environmental

Health Organization Report

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Communicable disease surveillance report. CDC: Atlanta, GA. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance

Education Research Report

National Bureau of Economic Research. (2023). Educational achievement gaps in the United States (Working Paper No. 31456). NBER: Cambridge, MA.

Multi-Author Report

For reports with multiple authors:

Anderson, K., Brown, J., Chen, L., & Davis, M. (2024). Infrastructure assessment and recommendations. National Academies Press: Washington, DC.

Edited Report

For reports with editors:

Johnson, R. (Ed.). (2023). Advances in renewable energy technology. Solar Energy Institute Publications: Denver, CO.

Using GenText for Report Citations

GenText streamlines report citation in Harvard format by organizing author/organization information, publication details, and access information. The tool ensures consistent formatting across your citations.

Reference List Formatting

In the reference list, arrange report citations alphabetically by author or organization name. Use hanging indent formatting.

Common Citation Elements

Essential elements for report citations:

• Author name or organization
• Publication year
• Report title in italics
• Publisher or institution name
• Publication location (city and state/country)
• Report number (if available)
• URL and access date

Common Citation Mistakes

• Missing publication location: Always include the city and state/country.
• Incorrect title formatting: Report titles should be italicized.
• Omitted access date: Include the date you accessed online reports.
• Incomplete organization name: Use the full official name of agencies and institutions.

Online vs. Print Reports

For online reports, include the URL and access date. For print reports, include publication location and publisher. If you’re unsure about publication status, include both when relevant.

Locating Reports

Finding institutional and government reports:

• Government Publishing Office (govinfo.gov)
• Agency websites and publication repositories
• SSRN (Social Science Research Network)
• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
• OpenDocs (opendocs.org)
• University institutional repositories

When to Cite Reports

Report citations are important for:

• Government policy analysis
• Institutional research and evaluation
• Program assessment and recommendations
• Industry and market research
• Technical documentation
• Organizational white papers and position papers

Access Restrictions

Some reports have access restrictions. Note if relevant:

Strategic Intelligence Agency. (2024). Classified security assessment (Classified Report). Restricted access.

Indicate when reports are not publicly available.

By following Harvard guidelines for report citations, you properly acknowledge institutional sources and enable readers to access these important research documents.