# Harvard format

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The author-date method of parenthetical referencing, one of several standard formats for citing information from any source bibliographically.

## Etymology
So named because Harvard University was a place where its use was common, at a time when today's generic names for referencing systems (author-date and author-number) hadn't yet acquired any degree of establishment.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/harvard-format