- 3-minute read
- 25th March 2023
How to Cite a Book Review in Harvard Referencing
If you’re a student writing a paper, you’ve probably used a variety of sources to compile your research and get your ideas down. Now it’s time to give proper credit to those sources.
If you’re citing a book review in Harvard referencing, you’ve come to the right place. Harvard doesn’t have an official set of rules, though, so many variations of it exist. Make sure you check your own style guide to confirm the guidelines you need to follow.
Creating an In-text Citation for a Book Review
To create an in-text citation for a book review in Harvard referencing, simply include the reviewer’s name and the year that the review was published (separated by a comma) in parentheses. If you include the name in the main text, you can just add the year. For example:
Gaines (2020) asserts that the text is heavy with symbolism.
If you use a direct quote, you’ll need to include the page numbers after the year with “p.” or “pp.” like this:
The symbolism is “overused and distracting,” according to Gaines (2020, p. 3).
If there are two reviewers, you can include both names separated by “and.” If there are three or more reviewers, only include the first name followed by “et al.”
Creating a Reference List Entry for a Book Review
Once you finish your paper, you’ll need to include a reference list with all the sources you used. To add a book review to this list, follow this format:
Reviewer, A. (year review was published). “Title of Book Review,” review of Title of Book Being Reviewed, by Author, X. Title of Journal or Newspaper Containing Review, volume number, issue number, page number(s).
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Using our example, the reference list entry would look something like this:
Gaines, T. (2020). “Banks’ Use of Symbolism,” review of The Last Storm, by Banks, J. Obscure Book Reviews, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 2–4.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now feel confident citing a book review in Harvard referencing. Like we said earlier, though, make sure you check your institution’s style guide for all its requirements. In this post, we looked at the Open University style of Harvard.
If you’d like an expert to check your references, regardless of which style you’re using, we’ll be happy to help. We’ll also check your work for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so much more. Submit a free sample today and try out our service!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you create an in-text citation for a book review in Harvard?
To create an in-text citation for a book review in Harvard referencing, include the reviewer’s name and the year their review was published in parentheses: (Reviewer, year).
How do you reference a book review in Harvard?
To create a reference list entry for a book review in Harvard, follow this format: Reviewer, A. (year review was published). “Title of Book Review,” review of Title of Book Being Reviewed, by Author, X. Title of Journal or Newspaper Containing Review, volume number, issue number, page number(s).
