Getting a Harvard-style list of references using Biblatex

Question

I've been dabbling with biblatex because I'm using TeXpad on the iPad. I have managed, I think, except for one thing: the final references are all numbered in the sequence they were used rather than alphabetically. I tried [labelnumber=false] but that just had [] preceding entries;). I also can't work out how to suppress the URL field.

Simple example: I'm getting this:

[1] Mary Douglas. How institutions think. 1st. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1986. url: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9 780415684781/.

When I want:

M. Douglas (1986). How institutions think. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, N.Y., 1st edn.

Also, this should be ordered under Douglas.

All the other questions I've found relate only to citing within the actual text, not the final reference list.

-- added after first response.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[style=authoryear]{biblatex}
\usepackage{filecontents}

\begin{filecontents}{textest.bib}
@BOOK{douglas1986a,
author = {Douglas, Mary},
title = {How Institutions Think},
year = {1986},
publisher = {Syracuse UP},
address = {Syracuse, NY},
url = {http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415684781}
}
\end{filecontents}

\addbibresource{textest.bib}

\begin{document}
Religion does not explain. Religion has to be explained. \autocite{douglas1986a}.
\printbibliography
\end{document}

I think, given my workload, that working through to specify the details of the output is going to be more than I can do with my deadline so I'll tinker on the next paper, and keep a note of your advice for then...

Answer 1

biblatex implements the two major versions of so-called Harvard style (author-date and author-title) in its authoryear and authortitle schemes, both of which in turn come in a variety of sub-flavours (authoryear-ibid etc.). You might want to have a look at the examples, choose the scheme that best suits your needs, and then customize as necessary. As jon suggested, plain authoryear with no extras might be a good starting point.

I also can't work out how to suppress the URL field.

that's managed via the url option:

\ExecuteBibliographyOptions{
  url=false
}

Answer 2

The closest available is Chicago style. I do the following:

\usepackage{natbib}

%...

\bibliographystyle{chicago}

\bibliography{bibex1}

And then in the actual text you can reference as \citet{} for author (year) and \citealp{} for author, year. The references/bibliography comes up exactly how it should for Harvard referencing.