reference lookup

[REF-er-ens LUK-up]
nounpl: reference lookups
consulta de referência
1. The process of searching for and retrieving information about a specific reference, citation, or source material
I performed a reference lookup to verify the author of that academic paper.
Realizei uma consulta de referência para verificar o autor daquele artigo acadêmico.
2. In computing, the act of accessing data or information stored in a reference or pointer
The program executes a reference lookup to find the memory address.
O programa executa uma consulta de referência para encontrar o endereço de memória.
3. Checking a database, index, or catalog to find specific information
A reference lookup in the library database helped us locate the book.
Uma consulta de referência no banco de dados da biblioteca nos ajudou a localizar o livro.
This term is predominantly used in academic, library science, and computing contexts in both Brazilian and American English. In Brazil, 'consulta de referência' is the preferred formal term in academic writing, while in technical documentation, both 'consulta' and 'busca' are commonly used interchangeably. The term reflects the importance of information verification and sourcing in both intellectual and technological work.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
reference searchlookupcross-referencecitation searchdata retrieval

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
consulta de referência
Most common term in Brazilian Portuguese for academic and technical contexts
São Paulo
busca de referência
Alternative usage focusing on the search aspect
Portugal
pesquisa de referência
Portuguese European preference for 'pesquisa' over 'consulta'
Technical/Computing
desreferenciação
Specific computing term for pointer/reference dereferencing operations

Related Words

citationdatabase querypointer dereferencingindex searchinformation retrieval

Related Idioms & Phrases

cross-reference lookup
do a reference lookup
run a reference lookup
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