Minimal idea following article in examination (8)
I believe the answer is:
faintest
'minimal idea' is the definition.
(I haven't the faintest idea)
'following article in examination' is the wordplay.
'following' becomes 'f' (used when citing page numbers etc).
'article' becomes 'a' (the indefinite article in English).
'examination' becomes 'test' (synonyms).
'f'+'a'+'in'+'test'='FAINTEST'
(Other definitions for faintest that I've seen before include "most dim" , "Most unenthusiastic" .)