Harvard University Paper Format & Writing Requirements

Harvard University at a glance

America's oldest university and the global benchmark for academic prestige, famous for law, medicine, government and business.

The campus sits in Cambridge, Massachusetts, operates as a private (ivy) institution, and enrolls about 25,000 students — a scale that directly shapes how writing support works. Founded in 1636 with an acceptance rate around 3%, Harvard University pairs selective admissions with the large-course writing loads typical of its category.

Citation styles Harvard University actually requires

Harvard University courses predominantly require Chicago or MLA 9 or APA 7. That is not a trivial preference: it decides your title page, heading levels, in-text punctuation and reference format on every graded document.

• Chicago: used across history, fine arts and some social science seminars
• MLA 9: used across humanities and writing-sequence courses
• APA 7: used across social science, nursing and business courses

Verify against the specific course syllabus anyway — instructors can override departmental defaults, and the first paper is where they enforce it.

The writing requirement, decoded

The Expository Writing requirement (Expos 10/20) is a one-semester course every freshman takes — sections are assigned by a placement essay.

Plan the sequence early: composition requirements compound, and students who defer them discover the advanced seminars — where the writing-intensity lives — conflict with major courses later. The registrar's degree audit shows exactly which flags remain; check it each semester.

Three things about Harvard University papers that surprise new students

• Expos 20 sections have themed syllabi; students rank preferences in a lottery system.
• Concentrations require a senior thesis for honors — History & Literature theses run 100+ pages.
• The Harvard Writing Center's handouts are cited worldwide.

None of these appear in the course description. All of them appear in the rubric. Students who learn them in week one report smoother first-semesters than students who meet them at the deadline.

Assignments Harvard University students face most

• Essay — most frequently assigned across Harvard University's programs
• Thesis (Senior/Honors) — most frequently assigned across Harvard University's programs
• Research Paper — most frequently assigned across Harvard University's programs
• Literature Review — most frequently assigned across Harvard University's programs

Popular programs at Harvard University include government, economics, law — each pairs the assignment list above with its own capstone or practicum expectations, detailed on our subject pages.