the action of mentioning or alluding to something

he made reference to the enormous power of the mass media

references to Darwinism and evolution

the use of a source of information in order to ascertain something

popular works of reference

a reference work

a letter from a previous employer testifying to someone's ability or reliability, used when applying for a new job

I was dismissed from the library, but with a good reference

provide (a book or article) with citations of sources of information

each chapter is referenced, citing literature up to 1990

mention or refer to

the media referenced our association in almost 40 articles