1. Introduction

2. Photometric data from the ALHAMBRA survey

3. Stellar population parameters in ALHAMBRA

4. Definition of the quiescent sample
4.1. Dust-corrected UVJ diagram
4.2. Stellar mass–colour diagram corrected for extinction
4.3. Visual inspection
4.4. Removal of cool stars
4.5. Stellar mass completeness
4.6. Photoz accuracy of ALHAMBRA quiescent galaxies

5. Star formation rates via SED fitting results

6. Stellar populations of quiescent galaxies within the stellar mass–colour and UVJ colour–colour diagrams
6.1. Distribution of extinction within the UVJ and stellar mass–colour diagrams
6.2. Ages of quiescent galaxies within the UVJ and stellar mass–colour diagrams
6.3. Distributions of metallicity
6.4. sSFR within the UVJ and stellar mass–colour diagrams

7. Discussion
7.1. New insights into the green valley
7.2. Lower U-V colour limit of UVJ-like diagrams
7.3. Dusty star-forming galaxies and flux emission at 24 μm
7.4. Consistency of the results using alternative attenuation laws

8. Summary and conclusions