For whatever reason, the Gale databases aren't big on page numbers -- probably because they have designed their interface around an HTML/web page view of their articles (which aren't paginated), with pdf being secondary.
Generally speaking, you can only cite based on what information your source provides. If page numbers aren't used in that version of the article, then that's what you'll go with! (However, if key information is missing that ought to exist, there is a way of including it from other sources. See Links below.)
MLA
When there are no page numbers, do not count them yourself!
If a source has numbered chapters (or paragraphs or lines), use those instead... otherwise you'll just do without any numbers.
- Parenthetical citation example: (Smith).
APA
If page numbers aren't available, instead provide...
- Heading or section names (may be abbreviated if long and unwieldy)
- Example: (Smith, 2024, Vampire section).
- Paragraph number - APA says DO count them yourself, if needed
- Example: (Smith, 2024, para. 1).
- Section + paragraph number combo
- Example: (Smith, 2024, Werewolf section, para. 3).
Note! Secret Page Numbers for Journal Articles in Gale
The page numbers may not be apparent, but they may be available to you: you just need to download the pdf of the article.
(All things being equal, we generally recommend going for the pdf when you have a choice. Even in the EBSCO databases, the pdf gives you a clearer view of page information.)
For example, in this article by Ost et al, the premade citation just says "pp. 46+" and no page numbers are otherwise visible.
Ost, Andrea, et al. "The Role of Forensic Anthropologists at the Fatal Fire Recovery: A Retrospective Study of Cases from 1983-2020." Forensic Anthropology, vol. 5, no. 1, Wntr 2022, pp. 46+. Gale OneFile: Criminal Justice, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A700098289/PPCJ?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-PPCJ&xid=0c1551ed. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
In the pdf, which shows the article with its publication formatting, we can see the page range with some other info on the top of the first page, or we can just scroll to the end to see what the last number is.
So we should update the citation to be:
Ost, Andrea, et al. "The Role of Forensic Anthropologists at the Fatal Fire Recovery: A Retrospective Study of Cases from 1983-2020." Forensic Anthropology, vol. 5, no. 1, Wntr 2022, pp. 46-52. Gale OneFile: Criminal Justice, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A700098289/PPCJ?u=nhmccd_main&sid=bookmark-PPCJ&xid=0c1551ed.
And then our in-text citations can correctly refer to (Ost et al. 49) and so on.
Links & Files
- MLA Style Center: What should I include in parentheses if the author’s name is provided in a signal phrase and the source has no page numbers or other kind of part number?
- APA Style: Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers
- My source is missing a lot of information, but I know it exists. What do I do? [MLA]
- In APA Style, what do I do if I can't find all the citation information?