cross-reference-integritylisted

# Cross-Reference Integrity ## What A systematic approach to managing internal document references (section numbers, finding numbers, evidence numbers, line numbers) that prevents reference rot and orphan links as documents evolve. ## Why Cross-references are the **hyperlinks of technical documents**. When they break: - Readers lose trust in the document's accuracy - Critical connections between evidence and conclusions become invisible - Reviewers waste time hunting for referenced content - Wrong decisions get made based on mislinked data Reference rot accelerates as documents grow. A 500-line document might have 20 cross-references. A 3,000-line document might have 200+. Manual tracking becomes impossible. ## Reference Types and Vulnerabilities | Reference Type | Pattern | Vulnerability | Example | |----------------|---------|---------------|---------| | Section reference | `§X.Y`, `Section X.Y` | Breaks when sections renumbered | "See §2.4.2 for details" | | Finding reference | `Finding #N`, `#N` | Breaks when findings reordered | "Confirmed by Finding #35" | | Evidence reference | `Evidence #N` | Breaks when evidence list changes | "Source: Evidence #12" | | Line reference | `line N`, `lines N-M` | Breaks on any edit above that line | "See line 450" | | Named anchor | `Appendix A Q7` | Stable if naming consistent | "Answered in Appendix A Q7" | **Stability ranking** (most to least stable): 1. Named anchors (survive most edits) 2. Finding/Evidence numbers (survive