Treference
Treference is a theoretical construct in information management that denotes a time-aware reference to a digital object. It encodes temporal context directly within the reference, enabling retrieval of the object’s state as it existed at a given moment. The term is a combination of “time” and “reference” and is used in discussions of versioning, provenance, and temporal querying.
A Treference typically comprises three elements: an object identifier, a version or edition tag, and a timestamp.
Applications include digital libraries and archives that must preserve the exact state of documents, legal and
Treferences relate to but are distinct from conventional identifiers such as URIs. They align with concepts