Asa Format In Text Citation

When citing sources in ASA (American Sociological Association) format within the text of your document, follow these guidelines:

1. Author-Date System: ASA uses an author-date citation system, similar to APA. The basic format is:
   (Author Last Name Year)

2. One Author:
   For works with a single author, include the author’s last name and the year of publication.
   Example:
   (Smith 2020)

3. Two Authors:
   For works with two authors, include both last names connected by “and.”
   Example:
   (Smith and Jones 2020)

4. Three or More Authors:
   For works with three or more authors, use “et al.” after the first author’s name.
   Example:
   (Smith et al. 2020)

5. No Author:
   If the work has no identifiable author, cite the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use quotation marks for articles or chapters and italics for books or reports.
   Example:
   ("Social Change" 2020)

6. Direct Quotes:
   For direct quotes, include the page number(s) after the year.
   Example:
   (Smith 2020:45)

7. Multiple Works by the Same Author in the Same Year:
   If you cite multiple works by the same author published in the same year, use lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.) after the year to distinguish them.
   Example:
   (Smith 2020a)

8. Multiple Citations in One Parenthesis:
   When citing multiple sources in the same parentheses, list them in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name. Separate citations with semicolons.
   Example:
   (Jones 2019; Smith 2020; Brown et al. 2021)

Example in Text:

Sociological studies have shown that social networks play a crucial role in job attainment (Granovetter 1973). However, recent research suggests that online platforms are changing this dynamic (Smith and Johnson 2018).

Reference List Entry (for context):

Granovetter, Mark. 1973. “The Strength of Weak Ties.” American Journal of Sociology 78(6):1360–1380.
Smith, Jane, and Robert Johnson. 2018. “Online Networks and Employment Opportunities.” Sociological Review 65(2):234–250.