I want to refer to a certain page and the pages after that, but without giving the end as a specified number.
Can I use these phrases?
[...] can be found on page x and the following.
[...] can be found on page x and the following pages.
[...] can be found after page x?
I personally don't like the second version. Is the first version correct? Can I use it?
Your first example is perfectly fine because "pages" isn't necessary. You've already stated that you're referring to pages when you say, "found on page x".
I assume that you want to spell out this information particularly instead of using the ff. notation:
"... can be found on page xff."
which means the same thing.
I'm not sure if it's overly simple for your needs but I would always say:
...can be found from page x onwards
I'd say one of the following:
• ... can be found on page x and following
• ... can be found on page x et seq.
• ... can be found on or after page x
Not “page 42 and the following”. The adjective following calls for a noun. It looks like you're using “the following” to mean “what follows the current point in the text” or “something that follows” or “the next few lines”.
“Page 42 and the following pages” sounds correct. This could be shortened to “page 42 and following pages” (since you aren't specifying the exact number of following pages, it's some following pages, so the null article works), or perhaps even to “page 42 and following” (without the, it doesn't look like a noun is missing any more).
In practice, you would normally not spell this out, but use the abbreviation ff. The word page becomes plural since it now designates not just to the first page but to the whole sequence.
(…) can be found on pages 42ff."
Even in an academic paper, I think you can avoid esoteric notation like ff or et seq. (Or perhaps especially in an academic paper. Contrary to popular opinion, you don't win points for making a paper hard to read.) You can express this simply, and I would do so by writing "starting on":
[...] can be found starting on page 153.
There are some good alternatives in the other answers. Just make sure that however you choose to express yourself, it's clear to your intended audience.
Your second example is better than your first example, IMO. You could say
"[...] can be found on page x and on.
which would mean the same thing (although "and on" could possibly be taken to mean "until the end of the book").
Saying "after page x" is confusing. It probably would not include page x, but it is ambiguous enough that someone would probably have to ask for clarification.
