Citelle · Library

Leeds Harvard: cite a book

A source-specific Leeds Harvard example, the details to collect and the checks needed for a book.

Choose the actual source form

Use the title page and publication details for the edition you read. An edition change can affect both the reference and the pages you cite. Keep a whole authored book distinct from a separately authored chapter in an edited collection.

Use the named convention

Harvard is a family of author-date conventions. This guide explicitly uses the University of Leeds version and its published source-type guidance. Check that your institution requires this variant before copying the punctuation or element order.

This guide explicitly uses Leeds Harvard.
Book title is italicized; edition and publication place remain separate.

Gather the source details

Check the exact author or editor role.
Record the complete book title and the edition used.
Verify the publication year and publisher.
Keep the publication place only when the selected convention requires it.

Author: Maya Stone
Title as supplied: A small book
Publication year: 2024
Publisher: Example Press
Edition: 2
Publication place: London

An independently written example

This is an invented publication used to demonstrate the reference structure. The text below is a plain-text example; use the typography notes above for the required italics or quotation marks.

Stone, M. 2024. A small book. 2nd ed. London: Example Press.

Review the part that is easy to miss

An ebook platform, device or saved file name is not automatically the publisher. A new edition and a new printing are not interchangeable facts; use what the actual source states.

The workbench does not provide a Leeds Harvard template; follow the linked Leeds guidance for this example.

Follow the Leeds guidance directly