crossreference

Cross-reference, often written as cross-reference or cross reference, is a reference from one part of a document, dataset, or knowledge base to another part. Its purpose is to guide readers to related information, reduce repetition, and improve consistency and navigability. Cross-references can point to sections, figures, tables, equations, or external documents, and may be presented as numbered identifiers, descriptive phrases, or hyperlinks.

Within documents, cross-references are internal when they link to a location inside the same work, and external when linking to another work or source. In publishing and word processing, common mechanisms include symbolic references or fields that automatically update when numbering changes (for example, a figure reference in a document or a section reference). In typesetting systems such as LaTeX, commands like \ref or \autoref are used; in word processors, REF fields or similar constructs are used; hyperlinks are the web equivalent.

In databases and software, cross-references link related records across tables or modules. They can be implemented with foreign keys, join tables, or documentation links. In knowledge bases and wikis, cross-references connect pages to related topics, enabling browsing and semantic linking.

Best practices include using descriptive anchor text, avoiding hard-coded numbers, maintaining stable identifiers, and ensuring references remain accurate during edits. Regular checks and automated tooling help keep cross-references up to date. Examples: "See Figure 3 for the architecture diagram" or "Refer to Section 5.2 for methodology."