Published October 17, 2020. Updated August 15, 2021.

If you need to reference a book in the Harvard referencing style, this guide has the information you need to cite the most common types of books you’ll need to reference. The examples on this page follow the guidelines outlined in the 11th edition of Cite them right by Richard Pears and Graham Shields. This guide is not affiliated with Cite them right but uses the text for standardisation purposes, as Harvard style can vary widely between institutions. Make sure to check with your tutor with regard to any institutional referencing rules before you start!

Here’s what you’ll find on this page:

• How to reference a single-author book

• How to reference a book with multiple authors

• How to reference a book with no author

• How to reference a book with an editor

• How to reference a book with an author and an editor

• How to reference a translated book

• How to reference an e-book

• How to reference a chapter of a book

If you’re citing sources, the Chegg Writing Harvard referencing generator is a helpful resource.

To reference a book, you’ll need the following publication information:

• Author and/or editor

• Publication year

• Title

• Place of publication

• Publisher

• Edition information, series/volume numbers (where applicable)

Help protect your paper against accidental plagiarism with the Chegg Writing plagiarism checker and citation generator.

How to reference a single-author book

For a book with a single author, the Harvard referencing style is as follows:

In-text reference template and example:

(Author Surname, Year of Publication)

(Rasmussen, 1997)

Full reference template and example:

How to reference a book with multiple authors

For books with two or three authors, name each of the authors in both the in-text reference and the full reference. Here’s how you would do this:

In-text reference template and example:

(Author1 Surname and Author2 Surname, Year of Publication)

(Abernathy and Sciarrino, 2019)

Full reference template and example:

For books with four or more authors, you will only need to list the first author’s name in the in-text reference, followed by ‘et al.’, which is Latin for ‘and others’. Some institutions require you to list the names of all four authors in the full reference, while others allow the use of ‘et al.’ in the full reference as well. You’ll need to check with your tutor if you need to cite a book with more than four authors, to see which approach you should take in your reference list. Here are some examples:

In-text reference examples:

(Dukeminier et al., 2005)

Dukeminier et al. discussed the nuances behind making wills (2005).

Full reference examples:

How to reference a book with no author

If your book has no known author, replace the author surname with the title in the in-text reference and begin your full reference with the title.

In-text reference example:

Crime, fantasy, and horror combine in this over-the-top and fast-paced novel (The book with no name, 2012).

Full reference example:

How to reference a book with an editor

For a book with an editor instead of an author, simply use the editor’s name in place of the author’s name. In the full reference, the editor’s name should be followed by ‘ed.’ in round brackets.

In-text reference example:

(Jones, 1994)

Full reference example:

How to reference a book with an author and an editor

If your book has both an author and an editor, you’ll add the editor to your full reference. You can use the following templates:

In-text reference template and example:

(Author Surname, Year of Publication)

(Glushko et al., 2013)

Full reference template and example:

How to reference a translated book

For a book with both an author and a translator, you’ll add information about the translator and the original language of the book to the full reference. The in-text reference will be the same as with other books.

Full reference template and example:

How to reference an e-book

E-books are becoming more widespread and are often easier to find and obtain than print copies. Harvard style treats printed books and e-books the same if all the publication details are the same and the e-book has the same pagination as the printed book. If the e-book does not have pagination, Harvard recommends using identifiers like location and percent, or just noting the chapter and paragraph. Additionally, in place of the publication information in the full reference, you’ll need to include a DOI or the URL at which you accessed the book and the date of access.

In-text reference example:

(Kostova, 2005, loc. 1794)

Full reference example:

How to reference a chapter of a book

The following template and examples will help you to cite a specific chapter in an edited book.

In-text reference example:

Glushko et al. defined what a resource is and how a resource can be named and distinguished (2013, p. 95).

Full reference template and example:

For more style basics, read this Harvard referencing in-text citations guide and this article on formatting Harvard referencing style papers.

Works Referenced

Pears, R. and Shields G. (2019) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. 11th rev. edn. London: Red Globe Press.