Reports & Grey Literature (Harvard Style)

This category includes formal reports from government bodies, corporations, and NGOs, as well as other "grey literature" like academic theses, dissertations, and conference papers. The key is to provide as much detail as possible to help the reader identify and locate the specific document you have used.

1. Citing Reports

Reports are one of the most common forms of grey literature. They are typically authored by an organisation rather than an individual.

A. Report by a Corporate or Organisational Author

This is the standard format for reports from government agencies, companies, or non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Reference List Format:
Name of Organisation (Year) Title of report. Report no. (if available). Place of publication: Publisher (if different from the author).
Reference List Example (Government Report):
NITI Aayog (2023) National Multidimensional Poverty Index: a progress review 2023. New Delhi: Government of India.
Reference List Example (Online with Report Number):
Reserve Bank of India (2024) Report on currency and finance. Report no. RBI/2024-25/01. Available at: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/AnnualReport.aspx (Accessed: 9 June 2025).
In-Text Citation Examples:
  • Parenthetical: The index provides a detailed analysis of poverty across states (NITI Aayog 2023, p. 15).
  • Narrative: According to a report by the Reserve Bank of India (2024), the financial landscape is evolving rapidly.

B. Report with Named Individual Authors

If a report credits specific individuals as authors, their names should be listed first, as with a book or journal article.

Reference List Format:
Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of report. Report for [Name of Organisation]. Place of publication: Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Aggarwal, S. and Kumar, R. (2022) Annual status of education report (ASER) 2022. Report for Pratham Education Foundation. New Delhi: ASER Centre.
In-Text Citation Examples:
  • Parenthetical: The findings show a significant gap in foundational literacy (Aggarwal and Kumar 2022, p. 41).
  • Narrative: Aggarwal and Kumar (2022, p. 41) found a significant gap in foundational literacy.

2. Citing Other Common Grey Literature

A. Thesis or Dissertation

Theses (for a PhD) and dissertations (often for a Master's degree) are crucial sources for original research.

Reference List Format:
Surname, Initial(s). (Year of submission) Title of thesis or dissertation. Level of award (e.g., PhD thesis or Master's dissertation), Name of University.
Reference List Example (PhD Thesis):
Rao, P. (2022) The impact of fintech on traditional banking in India. PhD thesis, University of Delhi.
Reference List Example (Online Master's Dissertation):
Desai, A. (2021) A study of water management practices in rural Gujarat. Master's dissertation, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Available at: https://www.iitb.ac.in/etd/5678 (Accessed: 9 June 2025).
In-Text Citation Examples:
  • Parenthetical: The research identified three key barriers to fintech adoption (Rao 2022, p. 88).
  • Narrative: In her study of water management, Desai (2021) observed several successful local initiatives.

B. Conference Paper (in Published Proceedings)

This is for citing a single paper presented at a conference and published in a collected volume (the "proceedings").

Reference List Format:
Surname, Initial(s). (Year) 'Title of conference paper', in Title of conference proceedings. Location and date of conference. Place of publication: Publisher, pp. page range.
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 (Joshi and Trivedi 2023, p. 117).
  • Narrative: Joshi and Trivedi (2023, p. 117) demonstrated that the new model showed a higher degree of accuracy.

How to Cite in Harvard Style: