By default, with either the standard LaTeX classes or the KOMA-script classes, empty pages (such as may occur using \cleardoublepage
) have no page numbers.
Why is this? In my — unprofessional — opinion, every page should have a page number. When I want to go to a particular page in a book, having page numbers oo every page assists me in finding the page I need, and page numbers do not only serve as an anchor for content.
However, I am by no means a book designer, and perhaps the default setting is one that I should not want to override. What is the reason for the absense of page numbers on empty pages? Am I wrong with my reasoning above, or are scholarly opinions about it divided as well?
\cleardoublepage
by default does not change the page style) slightly inconsistently\part
does not use\cleardoublepage
(because) it does use\thispagestyle{empty}
on the extra page.\cleardoublepage
has been defined to make this so). however, in a technical manual, or a government document, you will very often see "This page intentionally left blank." the chicago manual of style is quite specific: "Running heads and folios should be deleted from ... and, of course, from all blank pages." (14th ed., p.119, 3.43);-)
But, seriously, a lonely page number might suggest that something went wrong and some text has been lost.