@drandrewv2 @Edent I find using page numbers very useful for books (not generally articles) mainly published long before the web. Lots of humanities (& some biology) data is in giant books where this approach is useful.
A more radical suggestion is that papers should be succinct as possible, the "“Monotremes oviparous, ovum meroblastic”" telegram of 1884 probably represents the lower limit.
Picture shows Mill ex. Moench (1770: 229), a contested 1st description of London Plane