When citing an article with an article number instead of page numbers, use the article number in place of the page range in your citation.
Many online journals—especially in STEM fields—now assign article numbers (e.g., "e12345" or just "103") rather than traditional page numbers because articles are published continuously online rather than in fixed print issues. This practice is standard in journals like PLOS ONE, Nature Communications, and many IEEE publications.
How to Format the Citation
APA Style (7th edition):
Replace the page numbers with "Article" followed by the number:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, volume(issue), Article e12345. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example:
Zhang, L., & Chen, M. (2023). Machine learning in drug discovery. Nature Communications, 14, Article 5678. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-05678-x
MLA Style (9th edition):
Simply include the article number where page numbers would normally appear:
Author, First Name. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. X, no. Y, Year, article e12345.
Chicago Style:
Use "article" (lowercase) before the number in notes, or omit "article" and just use the number in bibliography entries:
Author Name. "Article Title." Journal Name volume, no. issue (Year): article e12345.
Key Points
- Always check the journal's own citation format on the article's landing page—many provide a formatted citation you can copy
- Include the DOI when available, as it provides permanent access regardless of numbering system
- Don't confuse article numbers with DOI numbers—the article number appears in the journal's table of contents, while the DOI is the persistent identifier URL
If you're managing many citations with mixed formats, WisPaper's TrueCite automatically detects whether a source uses page numbers or article numbers and formats your citation correctly according to your chosen style guide, saving time and reducing formatting errors.
