how to reference world bank harvard

Citing International Organizations and Institutional Reports in Academic Writing

General Principles of Citation

Scholarly works must properly attribute all sources of information. This involves providing sufficient details to enable readers to locate the original material. Consistency and accuracy are crucial for maintaining academic integrity. Different citation styles, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard, have specific formatting guidelines.

Citing Reports from Organizations Like the World Bank

Reports and publications from international organizations like the World Bank require specific elements in the citation. These include the organization's name, the report title, the publication date, and the URL (if accessed online). If a specific author is credited within the organization, include their name as well. It is essential to distinguish between reports authored by individuals affiliated with the organization and those directly attributable to the organization itself.

Harvard Citation Style Specifics for Institutional Authors

The Harvard referencing style (also known as author-date style) prioritizes the author's name and year of publication. When the author is an institution, like the World Bank, the institution takes the place of the author's name. The general structure follows:

World Bank (Year) Title of Report. Location: Publisher. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date).

For example:

World Bank (2023) Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2022: Correcting Course. Washington, DC: World Bank. Available at: [insert URL here] (Accessed: 2024-01-01).

Key Elements Explained

  • Author: Use the full official name of the organization (e.g., World Bank).
  • Year: The year of publication of the report.
  • Title: The full title of the report, italicized.
  • Location: The city where the organization's headquarters is located (e.g., Washington, DC, for the World Bank).
  • Publisher: Usually the name of the organization itself (e.g., World Bank).
  • URL: The direct link to the report on the organization's website.
  • Accessed Date: The date when you last accessed the online report. This is important as online content can change.

In-Text Citation

In-text citations should include the organization's name and the year of publication, enclosed in parentheses. For example: (World Bank, 2023).

Citing Multiple Reports from the Same Organization in the Same Year

If you are citing multiple reports from the same organization published in the same year, differentiate them by adding lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.) after the year. For example: (World Bank, 2023a), (World Bank, 2023b).

Adapting for Different Institutional Authors

The principles outlined above can be applied to citing reports from other institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, or government agencies. Always verify the specific requirements of the institution and ensure that all necessary information is included in the citation.