How to Cite an Encyclopedia or Wikipedia Article in Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition)

Britannica, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and other encyclopedias.

Example in Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition)

Ismael, J. (2025) ‘Quantum mechanics’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Spring 2025. Edited by E.N. Zalta and U. Nodelman. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2025/entries/qm/ (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
In-text (Ismael, 2025)

Citing Wikipedia? Use this type, with the permanent link and the date of the version you read. How to cite Wikipedia

What Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition) includes

These are the details of the example above that the style prints, so they are the ones to collect for your own source.

  • Entry Title
  • Author(s)
  • Encyclopedia
  • Editor(s)
  • Edition
  • Publisher
  • Date Published
  • URL
  • Date Accessed

Take the entry’s title, and its author if it names one, from the article, and the editors, edition and publisher from the encyclopedia’s title page or about page. Online, link to a fixed version if there is one, such as a Wikipedia permanent link or an archived edition of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and give its date. There is no box for a volume, so add one by hand if your style asks for it.

The formatting comes from the style's own file, so check the finer points against your guide. What to check by hand in Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition).

An Encyclopedia or Wikipedia Article in other styles

APA 7th edition MLA 9th edition Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography) IEEE Vancouver

Other sources in Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition)

Website Book Journal Article Newspaper Article Book Chapter Thesis/Dissertation Report Video Podcast/Broadcast Magazine Article Software Dataset Patent Hearing Standard Conference Paper Manuscript Review Book Review Classic Work Reference Entry Dictionary Entry Periodical Collection Interview Speech Song Musical Score Graphic Figure Map Performance Event Pamphlet Preprint Document Post Blog Post Personal Communication Generative AI