How to Cite a Journal Article in Harvard
Complete guide with examples for citing academic journal articles using Harvard referencing, including those with DOI, from databases, and in print.
Basic Format: Article with DOI
Include author(s), year, article title (in single quotation marks), journal title (italicized), volume, issue, page range, and DOI if available.
Reference List Entry
Author Surname, Initials. (Year) 'Title of article', Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pp. page range. Available at: DOI (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example: Article with DOI
Citation
Tremblay, M.-È. (2020) 'Microglial function in the aging brain', Journal of Neuroscience Research, 98(2), pp. 234‑245. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24567 (Accessed: 8 April 2026).
In‑Text Citation (Parenthetical)
(Tremblay, 2020)
Article Without DOI (Stable URL)
If no DOI is available, provide the URL that leads directly to the article and include the access date.
Example
Chan, A. (2021) 'Decolonizing the Canadian university', Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 51(3), pp. 12‑28. Available at: www.erudit.org/en/journals/cjhe/2021-v51-n3-cjhe12345/ (Accessed: 8 April 2026).
Print Journal Article
Example
Robinson, E. (2020) 'Writing the West Coast', Canadian Literature, (242), pp. 89‑104.
Article with Multiple Authors
Example (Three Authors)
Singh, J., Lee, K. and Park, S. (2023) 'Climate anxiety and youth mental health', Environmental Research Letters, 18(4), p. 044012. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acc123 (Accessed: 8 April 2026).
In‑Text Citation
(Singh et al., 2023)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I include the issue number if the journal is paginated by volume?
Yes. Harvard referencing recommends including the issue number in round brackets after the volume number when available.
What if there are no page numbers?
If the article is published online‑only and has an article number instead of page numbers, use the article number. For direct quotes, use a paragraph number: (Smith, 2024, para. 4).