Begin with pre-writing activities that include reading, researching sources, studying the topic, outlining, brainstorming and drafting ideas. All of these activities will contribute to your paper. Once you have completed pre-writing, get ready to write the first draft. Here is where you will need to begin following Harvard style format.
Write a research paper that includes significant or groundbreaking research on the topic or assignment and that demonstrates a thorough understanding. Provide parenthetical citations that show the reader where the research came from. If you use a source and mention the author's name in the sentence, then provide only a publication date for the research in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. In some instances, a professor will want to know page numbers as well, in which case you will need to provide the publication date followed by a comma, then p. followed by the page number. The citation would look like this: (1959, p. 26). If the author's name had not been mentioned in the sentence, the same citation would look like this: (Tillyard 1959, p. 26).
Cite a source with two or more authors by using the first author's name and et al. A citation for The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare would look like this: (Wells et al. 2009, p. 91). If no date is provided on the source, use the letters n.d. with no space between: (Wells n.d.). Or if you have used the author's name in the sentence, then immediately after add (n.d.) to indicate that no date for the publication is available. If no author is given, use just the title of the work or Anonymous. Be aware that the citation will be more credible with an author, so search thoroughly for the author's name.
Organize your list of references in alphabetical order and include it on a new page or pages at the end of the paper. Each source should start on a new line. Harvard style requires that all margins be flush on the left side with no hanging indentation. Begin all references with the author's last name, followed by a comma and then the first initial, a period and a comma. For a book, italicize the title and follow it with a comma, then the location of publication followed by a period. Here is an example: Tillyard, E.M.W., 1959. The Elizabethan World Picture, New York.
Cite journal articles and websites also in your reference list. Begin with the name as you would for a book reference followed by a comma. Next provide the year of publication followed by a period. After that comes the article title, including sub-title, with only first word and any proper nouns capitalized followed by a period. Next give the journal title in italics followed by a comma. Include volume number with issue number following in parenthesis and a comma. Finally, provide the page p. or pages pp. If using online information, you will need to provide specific reference information so the reader can find the information.
Begin as you would for a book or journal article up to the publication date. After giving the date, list the title in italics followed by [Online]. Next give the date of the last update in parenthesis followed by Available at: and give the URL. Lastly, give the date in square brackets that you last accessed the information with a final period after the bracket.