Help:Cite errors/Cite error included ref

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The last reference on a page will not show this error and will "eat" the following content.

Overview

References are defined within <ref>...</ref> tags.

Issues and resolution

The closing </ref> tag is missing or malformed. Ensure that you are either using a closed pair of tags such as <ref>content</ref>. Extra spaces may also cause this, for example < /ref> or <ref name=foo / >.

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This error will also show if <ref>...</ref> tags or a named reference are nested inside another set of <ref>...</ref> tags. <ref>...</ref> tags cannot be nested.

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When referring to an already named reference, ensure that the ref tag is in the following format (note the final slash):

<ref name="reference name" />

Technical

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