The problem with standalone Refer

This post is about the word, refer, used in documents to indicate that the reader must go to another location within or outside the document for additional information. In general, technical writers know it as "cross reference".

If you open any dictionary, it will say Refer is a transitive verb that requires an object. This means that in sentences like the following one, you have to be careful:

For more information on installing the product, refer to the product Installation Guide.

It is very common to see the above said sentence written in the following manner:

For more information on installing the product, refer the product Installation Guide.

Avoid such mistakes, or use "See" for such cross references.

For more information on installing the product, see the product Installation Guide.