When writing an essay, you may find yourself using a report as a source for your research. If you’re using the Harvard referencing style, you’ll need to include an in-text citation and a reference list entry to credit the source properly.
The Harvard style has many variations, so be sure to check your own style guide to verify that you’re doing things correctly. In today’s post, we’ll look at citing a report in the Open University style. Read on to learn more!
Creating an In-Text Citation for a Report
In the Open University style of Harvard referencing, an in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the year of publication in parentheses, like this:
Barnes (2014) states that puppies are more likely than older dogs to be adopted.
If you provide a direct quotation, you’ll need to include the page numbers as well:
“Younger dogs get adopted more quickly than senior dogs,” says Barnes (2014, p. 22).
If the source has two authors, include both names, separated by “and.” If the source has three or more authors, though, include the first name only, followed by “et al.”
Adding a Reference List Entry for a Report
At the end of your paper, you’ll need to compile a list of the sources you used, including any reports from which you pulled information. Fortunately, the Open University style makes this easy, as the reference list requirements for a report are the same as those for a book, following this format:
Author, X. (year). Title. Place of publication: Publisher.
In practice, then, we would cite the report from our example this way:
Barnes, T. (2014). American Animal Shelters Report. New York: Collins Publishing.
If you found the report online, you can follow the same format you’d use for an eBook:
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Author, X. (year). Title [Online]. Place of publication if available: Publisher if available. Available at: URL (Accessed date).
Our example, then, would look like this:
Barnes, T. (2014). American Animal Shelters Report [Online]. New York: Collins Publishing. Available at: www.AASR.org (Accessed March 1, 2023).
Conclusion
We hope this post has helped you with citing reports in your work. Remember, the Harvard style varies across institutions, so although we’ve used the Open University style today, be sure to check your own style guide to verify that you’ve met the requirements.
And before you submit your paper, make sure someone proofreads it for you! Our editors will ensure flawless grammar, spelling, punctuation, references, and more. Try it out for free today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you format an in-text citation for a report in Harvard?
To create an in-text citation for a report, include the author’s name and the date of publication in parentheses. If the source has two authors, include both names. If the source has three, include the first name only, followed by “et al.”
How do you format a reference list entry for a report in Harvard?
A reference list item for a report in Harvard looks like this: Author, X. (year). Title. Place of publication: Publisher.