How to Cite Software in Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition)

Programs, applications, code repositories, and software packages.

Example in Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition)

R Core Team (2023) ‘R: a language and environment for statistical computing’. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available at: https://www.R-project.org/.
In-text (R Core Team, 2023)

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.

  • Software Name
  • Author(s)/Developer(s)
  • Publisher/Organization
  • Place of publication
  • Release Date
  • URL

Check the repository (GitHub, GitLab) for version number, release date, and contributors. README files often contain the preferred citation format.

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).

Software 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 Dataset Patent Hearing Standard Conference Paper Manuscript Review Book Review Classic Work Reference Entry Dictionary Entry Encyclopedia Entry Periodical Collection Interview Speech Song Musical Score Graphic Figure Map Performance Event Pamphlet Preprint Document Post Blog Post Personal Communication Generative AI