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100-word abstract §1 gives a preliminary explanation of the concept of reference. §2 is an analysis of descriptivism, the first systematic theory of reference. §3 begins with criticisms of descriptivism, and then details the development of the causal-historical theory of reference, which has been the orthodox view of reference since the 1970s. §4 is an exposition of three concepts that play major roles in recent debates—skepticism, naturalism, and minimalism about reference. §5 gives a brief summary of the article (including a short list of the theories surveyed and acronyms employed).