Conference Presentations & Proceedings (Harvard Style)
This guide covers the main scenarios you will encounter: citing a single paper that has been published in a conference proceedings volume, citing a presentation that was delivered but not published, and citing the entire proceedings volume itself.
1. Paper in Published Conference Proceedings
This is the most common format. It is used when a conference paper has been formally published in a collected volume (the "proceedings"), which is treated much like a chapter in an edited book.
Reference List Format Breakdown:
Surname, Initial(s). (The author(s) of the paper) (Year) (The year the proceedings were published) 'Title of conference paper' (The specific paper's title in sentence case and single quotes) in (Followed by the details of the proceedings volume)Title of Conference Proceedings (The official title of the collected volume, italicised) Location of conference, Date of conference. (The city and dates the conference was held) Place of publication: Publisher, (Where the proceedings were published and by whom) pp. page range. (The page numbers of the specific paper within the volume)
Reference List Example:
Joshi, M. and Trivedi, S. (2023) 'Application of machine learning in monsoon forecasting', in Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Data Science (ICDS). Pune, India, 4-6 December. New Delhi: IEEE, pp. 112-119.
In-Text Citation Examples:
- Parenthetical: The new model showed a higher degree of accuracy in forecasting rainfall patterns (Joshi and Trivedi 2023, p. 117).
- Narrative: Joshi and Trivedi (2023, p. 117) demonstrated that their new model showed a higher degree of accuracy in forecasting rainfall patterns.
2. Unpublished Conference Presentation
Use this format when you are citing a paper or presentation that was delivered at a conference but has not been published in a formal proceedings volume.
Reference List Format Breakdown:
Surname, Initial(s). (The presenter(s)) (Year) (The year the conference was held) 'Title of presentation' (The title of the paper or presentation in single quotes) Paper presented at the Name of Conference (A description indicating its status and the italicised conference name) Location of conference, Date of conference. (The city and dates of the presentation)
Reference List Example:
Rajan, P. (2024) 'The impact of digital payment systems on rural Indian economies'. Paper presented at the Annual Sociology Symposium. University of Mumbai, 12 April.
In-Text Citation Examples:
- Parenthetical: The adoption of digital payments in rural areas has been uneven (Rajan 2024).
- Narrative: In a presentation by Rajan (2024), it was argued that the adoption of digital payments in rural areas has been uneven.
3. Entire Conference Proceedings (as a whole volume)
This format is used when you are referring to the entire collection of papers from a conference, for example, to comment on its overall theme. It is cited like an edited book.
Reference List Format Breakdown:
EditorSurname, Initial(s). (ed.) (The editor(s) of the proceedings volume) (Year) (The year of publication)Title of Conference Proceedings (The official title of the volume, italicised) Location of conference, Date of conference. (The city and dates the conference was held) Place of publication: Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Patel, S. and Khan, A. (eds.) (2022) Innovation in Renewable Energy: Proceedings of the 5th National Symposium. Bengaluru, India, 10-12 November. Chennai: Notion Press.
In-Text Citation Examples:
- Parenthetical: The conference highlighted a significant shift towards solar power (Patel and Khan 2022).
- Narrative: The proceedings, edited by Patel and Khan (2022), show a significant shift in focus towards solar power.