Help:Cite errors/Cite error empty references define

This page will help you to fix the cite error message:

A list-defined reference with the name "$1" has been invoked, but is not defined in the <references> tag (see the help page).

  • If you have read this help page and find something missing or confusing, please discuss it at the main talk page.
  • Please reference this page and the page where you have the problem so we can understand your issues.
  • For basic information on the footnotes system, see Referencing for beginners; for advanced help, see Footnotes.

Overview

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References may be defined within the reference list:

{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=rename1>refcontent1</ref>
}}

Note: It is possible to get this error message when nesting footnotes in list-defined references, unfortunately the only fix in this situation is to not use list-defined references for entries that are nested.

Issues and resolution

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Examples

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The reference named foo is defined but has no content:

<ref name="foo" />

<references>
<ref name="foo"></ref>
</references>

[1]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference foo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Cite error: A list-defined reference with the name "foo" has been invoked, but is not defined in the <references> tag (see the help page).

Technical

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Pages with this error message are placed into Pages with incorrect ref formatting. The system message page is at Cite error empty references define.