Harvard Referencing Guide UK: Books, Journals, Websites + ChatGPT (Bolton, Kaplan Examples)

If you study at the University of Bolton, a Kaplan partner university, or any UK university using Harvard referencing UK style, you have probably been told to “follow Cite Them Right Harvard.” But what does that actually mean for books, journals, websites, ONS datasets, HSE reports and even ChatGPT?

This guide answers exactly that. You get the Cite Them Right 12th edition formula — Author (Year) Title in italics where needed. Available at: URL [Accessed date] — plus ready-to-copy Bolton and Kaplan examples, a clear explanation of in-text citations vs the reference list, an italics rules table, the et al. rule for 3+ authors, and a final checklist markers love.

New to Harvard overall? Start with our full Harvard referencing guide, then come back here for the detailed book / journal / website / AI formats. If you use AI tools in your draft, also read how to cite ChatGPT in APA, MLA and Harvard.

Harvard Basics in 60 Seconds (Cite Them Right 12th)

Harvard is an author–date system. Every time you use an idea, paraphrase or quote, you add a short in-text citation — e.g. (Cottrell, 2019) — and give the full details once in an alphabetical reference list at the end. No footnotes, no numbered bibliography.

• In-text: Surname + Year + page for quotes. Example: (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2023, p. 42) or Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2023) argue…
• Reference list: Surname, Initial. (Year) Title in italics if book/journal/report. Edition. Place: Publisher. Or for online: Available at: URL [Accessed date].
• Order: Alphabetical by first author’s surname. Same author, multiple years? Order oldest to newest.
• Accessed date: Required for anything online that could change — websites, ONS datasets, HSE pages, e-books and AI tools.

Bolton Library and Kaplan Academic Skills both phrase it the same way: if your reader cannot find the source from your reference, the reference is wrong — even if the in-text looks right.

That is why the copy boxes below show both the in-text and the full reference together. Copy, replace the details, keep punctuation identical.

1. How to Harvard Reference a Book (Print and E-book)

Books are the most common source in business, nursing, education and social science assignments at Bolton and Kaplan. The Cite Them Right formula is:

Surname, Initial. (Year) Title in italics. Edition (if not 1st). Place of publication: Publisher.

Kaplan tip: many Kaplan business modules use Cottrell for study skills and Saunders for research methods. Do not reference the PDF page number from your preview — use the print book pagination or the e-book chapter location consistently.

2. How to Harvard Reference a Book Chapter in an Edited Book

Use this when different chapters have different authors — common in nursing, psychology and education readers. You reference the chapter author, not just the editor.

Formula: Chapter Author (Year) ‘Chapter title in single quotes’, in Editor (ed.) Book title in italics. Place: Publisher, pp. xx–xx.

3. How to Harvard Reference a Journal Article (With DOI)

Journals earn marks for critical analysis at Level 5/6. Bolton markers specifically check volume, issue and page range. Never italicise the article title — italicise the journal name.

Formula: Author (Year) ‘Article title’, Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pp. xx–xx. doi:xxxx or Available at: URL [Accessed date].

If you found the article via EBSCO, ProQuest or Kaplan Library Search, reference the journal itself — not the database. Only add the database URL if there is no DOI and no publisher page.

4. How to Harvard Reference a Website / Online Article

Use organisation as author when no person is named — very common for NHS, BBC, CIPD and university pages. Always include Accessed date because web pages change.

5. How to Harvard Reference Government Sources: ONS and HSE

Business, public health, construction and HRM assignments at Bolton and Kaplan frequently cite the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Treat them as corporate authors — do not abbreviate in the reference list first entry.

Second mention: Cite Them Right allows you to define the abbreviation — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2024) — then use (ONS, 2024) afterwards, but only if your department permits it. Bolton Business School generally does; some Kaplan nursing markers prefer the full name every time. Check your handbook.

6. How to Harvard Reference ChatGPT / AI (Bolton & Kaplan Rules)

This is the section students ask about most. Cite Them Right 12th does not yet have a single fixed AI template every university follows, so Bolton and Kaplan apply the same logic: AI output is non-retrievable — your reader cannot open your exact chat — so treat it like personal communication plus a retrievable model reference with version and date.

• Declare it: most Bolton/Kaplan briefs now require an AI-use declaration (“I used ChatGPT to brainstorm headings; all analysis is my own”). Put this in your methodology or appendix.
• Do not list AI as a scholarly source: use it for planning, explaining or editing — then cite real books/journals for evidence.
• Keep evidence: save your prompt + full output date-stamped as an appendix screenshot or transcript.

For a deeper comparison across styles, see our how to cite ChatGPT in APA, MLA and Harvard guide.

Alternative if your tutor says “personal communication”: some Kaplan tutors ask for in-text only with no reference-list entry — e.g. (ChatGPT, personal communication, 10 October 2026) — because the conversation cannot be retrieved. If so, follow that instruction and still attach the transcript. Never invent page numbers or DOIs for AI text.

In-Text Citations vs Reference List — What Goes Where

Students mix these up more than any other Harvard rule. Think: in-text = pointer, reference list = address.

Direct quote example (under 3 lines, single quotes in UK Harvard): ‘Critical thinking involves questioning assumptions, not just accumulating facts’ (Cottrell, 2019, p. 23). Longer quotes (40+ words or 3+ lines) are indented as a block without quote marks, with the citation after the full stop in some Bolton guides — follow your handbook.

Italics Rules Table: What to Italicise in Harvard

If you remember one visual rule: standalone publications in italics, parts inside them in plain text.

Do not use bold, underlining or ALL CAPS for titles in the reference list. Sentence case (only first word + proper nouns capitalised) is standard in Cite Them Right, though some Bolton examples use title case for book titles — either is accepted if consistent.

Et al.: The 3+ Authors Rule (Harvard UK)

Et al. is Latin for “and others.” In Cite Them Right Harvard 12th as used at Bolton and Kaplan:

• 1 author: (Smith, 2022) → Smith, J. (2022)…
• 2 authors: Name both every time: (Ahmed and Smith, 2023) — note and, not &, in Harvard prose.
• 3 authors: Name all three first time in many guides, then first + et al.; many Bolton/Kaplan briefs now allow et al. from first cite: (Saunders et al., 2023).
• 4+ authors: Always first + et al. in-text: (Brown et al., 2024).

Kaplan Harvard ChatGPT questions often add a twist: if three students co-prompted AI, you still cite the model (OpenAI), not the students. Et al. never applies to AI prompts.

5 Mistakes Bolton & Kaplan Markers Penalise Most

1. Missing Accessed dates. Every ONS, HSE, website and ChatGPT reference needs [Accessed day month year]. No exceptions.
2. Italicising article titles. Only journals/books/reports get italics. Articles/chapters get ‘single quotes’.
3. Listing Google or Kaplan Library as author. Reference the publisher/journal, not the search engine or database.
4. Mixing Harvard with APA commas. Harvard in-text is (Smith, 2022, p. 12) — no comma after author in APA 7th is (Smith, 2022, p. 12) too, but reference-list punctuation differs. Stick to one style throughout.
5. Orphan references. Every reference-list entry must be cited in-text, and every in-text must appear in the list. Cross-check before submitting on Turnitin.

For a full overview of Harvard vs other styles, revisit our Harvard referencing guide and our ChatGPT citation guide before submission.

Harvard Submission Checklist (Copy Before You Submit)

• ☐ Reference list on new page titled Reference List (not Bibliography), alphabetical, double-check A–Z.
• ☐ Every book title italicised, edition + Place: Publisher present.
• ☐ Every journal has ‘Article’, Journal, Volume(Issue), pp. range + doi/URL.
• ☐ Every website/ONS/HSE/ChatGPT has Available at: URL + [Accessed date].
• ☐ In-text: Author (Year) pattern correct; quotes have page numbers; 3+ authors use et al.
• ☐ AI declared in text/appendix with prompt date + model version; transcript attached if required.
• ☐ No un-cited list entries; no missing list entries; italics consistent.

Paste this checklist into the top of your draft, tick as you go, then delete before submitting. Students who do this typically save 5–10 marks lost to “presentation of references.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Mastering Harvard referencing UK for books, journals, websites plus ONS, HSE and ChatGPT is less about memorising and more about copying the right pattern. Keep book titles italicised, article titles in quotes, corporate authors spelled out, every online source with an Accessed date, 3+ authors shortened to et al., and AI cited with model version + date + appendix.

If you are a Bolton or Kaplan student facing a deadline and your reference list still looks messy, do not risk losing 10% for presentation. Get a Harvard proofread before you submit.