Include the first and last name of the person you had a conversation with, their relevant affiliation, and the date it took place in your Works Cited list, as your in-text citation will refer people to this information.
Review the sentence in which you are referring to the conversation and note whether or not you have already written the name of the person within the sentence. If you have, it is not necessary to include a formal in-text citation. For example, this sentence does not require an in-text citation: "According to State Inspector John Smith, a significant amount of chemicals were dumped in the river last year." If you have not included the person’s name, continue with the next step.
Write the last name of the person whose conversation you are referring to in parentheses and place this at the end of the sentence and before the period. For example: Some experts believe a significant amount of chemicals were dumped in the river last year (Smith).