How to cite a book chapter in Harvard

Harvard book chapter citation

To cite a chapter in a book in a reference entry in Harvard style include the following elements:

  1. Author(s) of the chapter: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J.) of up to three authors with the last name preceded by 'and'. For four authors or more include the first name followed by et al., unless your institution requires referencing of all named authors.
  2. Year of publication: Give the year in round brackets.
  3. Chapter title: Give the chapter title in single quotation marks.
  4. Editor(s) of the book: Add the last name, followed by the first letter of the first name, e.g. Smith, J. End with (ed.) or (eds.) respectively. If not available, omit this part.
  5. Title of the book: Book titles are italicized. Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
  6. Place of publication: List the city and the US state using the two-letter abbreviation. Spell out country names if outside of the UK or the USA.
  7. Publisher: Give the name of the publisher.
  8. Page numbers: Give the full page range or page number.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of a chapter in a book in Harvard style:

Author(s) of the chapter. (Year of publication) 'Chapter title', in Editor(s) of the book (eds.) Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher, pp. Page numbers.

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the Harvard style guidelines in action:

Examples

A chapter in a book with one editor

Edgeworth, M. (2010) 'The Limerick Gloves', in Trevor, W. (ed.) The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. Oxford: Oxford UP, pp. 27-51.

A chapter in a book with one editor

Emants, M. (2016) 'An Eccentric', in Zwagerman, J. (ed.) The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories. London: Penguin, pp. 8-12.

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