Short answer
CiteFlow keeps the PDF position and a detected or saved printed-page label so citations can be checked against the source. Printed labels can differ because of covers, Roman-numbered front matter or scans, so detection is evidence to verify.
When to use this method
A PDF's file index and printed page label can differ; CiteFlow records both for citation review.
Before you start
Add the PDF to a CiteFlow project and open the page that contains the passage. A PDF position is the page's place inside the file. A printed page label is the number or Roman numeral shown on the page itself. Check which locator your citation style expects before copying.
How we checked this guide How pagination behavior and citation boundaries were verified.
- What we reviewed
- Reviewed normalized printed labels, repeated margin evidence, saved locator profiles, mixed numbering and physical-page fallback behavior in CiteFlow.
- What we confirmed
- The page detector combines PDF labels, plausible margin evidence and saved mappings. It preserves uncertainty rather than proving that every visible number is pagination.
- Important limit
- PDF page 12 can be printed page 1 after eleven cover and front-matter pages. Cite the visible publication page when the style requires it, while retaining the PDF position for return navigation.
Resolve file position and printed label
Open the passage in CiteFlow
Navigate to the physical PDF page and select the quotation you plan to cite.
Use Copy with Citation
Copy the selection with citation context so CiteFlow resolves the printed-page locator for that passage.
Compare the suggestion with the page
Check the suggested label against the visible margin and the numbering on neighboring pages.
Confirm or correct the label
If CiteFlow asks, enter the verified printed label; the confirmed mapping is saved for later citations from that sequence.
Reopen the finished citation
Return from the citation record to the PDF and verify the quotation and locator before submission.
Locator errors
- Using PDF position as printed pagination without checking
- Applying one offset across Roman and Arabic sections
- Trusting a detected footer from a scanned artifact
- Citing a page label that cannot be reopened
Checkpoint: Pagination checks
- Record physical PDF position.
- Read the visible printed label.
- Check the neighboring sequence.
- Reopen the final cited locator from the note.
CiteFlow
Keep physical PDF positions and checked printed-page labels connected to the quotation and citation draft.