A cross-reference (sometimes abbreviated as xref) is an instance within a document which refers the reader to related or synonymous information elsewhere, usually within the same work. To cross-reference is to make such connections. Cross-references typically link to a related topic. Cross-referencing is usually employed by readers to either verify claims made by an author or to find information on a topic of interest. In both printed and online dictionaries cross-references are important because they form a network structure of relations existing between different parts of data, dictionary-internal as well as dictionary external.
Print reference works, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, have used various typographical elements such as bold text, small caps, or italics; symbols such as the manicule or arrow; and the words see also or for to indicate terms that can be cross-referenced. For example, under the term Albert Einstein in the index of a book about Nobel Laureates, there may be the cross-reference See Also: Einstein, Albert. Cross-references and marginal notes in printed text served a linking function similar to what is seen in hypertext.
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