This study is to analyze the historical developments of references on cataloging rules. References is named cross reference on The Panizzi' and Jewett' Report and defined at Rules for a Dictionary Catalog by Charles A. Cutter. References is developed to “see reference”, “see-also reference”, “name-title reference”, and “explanatory reference” on AACR2. References have traditionally been regarded as syndetic devices, making it possible to retrieve and connect related works. Conclusionally, it functions as a tool which directly connect all the works related but in different formats of a same author name and a same title name. In online catalogues, it means that the role and function of references have increasingly become extended to be very important.