Referansen

Referansen is the definite form of the Norwegian noun referanse, meaning reference or citation. It denotes a source or pointer to information that supports a claim, indicates provenance, or provides further reading. The term is used across academic, library, and information-technology contexts.

In academic writing, a referanse identifies a source such as a book, article, or report. A complete referanse includes author(es), title, publication venue, publisher, year, and page numbers when applicable, and it is listed in a litteraturliste or referanseliste, depending on the chosen citation style.

In libraries and information systems, referansen describes metadata that helps locate resources. In databases and catalogues, a referanse may be a link or identifier to related records, editions, or versions. The concept is closely related to the English term reference and to the Norwegian term kilde.

Linguistic note: referanse is the base form; referansen is the definite form used when speaking of "the reference." The term is common in education, research, and information services in Norway and other Norwegian-speaking contexts.

See also: bibliographic reference, citation, referanseliste, kilde.