diff --git a/dmp-backend/core/src/main/java/eu/eudat/service/description/DescriptionServiceImpl.java b/dmp-backend/core/src/main/java/eu/eudat/service/description/DescriptionServiceImpl.java
index d11c87a4f..e3a6d5e13 100644
--- a/dmp-backend/core/src/main/java/eu/eudat/service/description/DescriptionServiceImpl.java
+++ b/dmp-backend/core/src/main/java/eu/eudat/service/description/DescriptionServiceImpl.java
@@ -976,29 +976,63 @@ public class DescriptionServiceImpl implements DescriptionService {
     private @NotNull PropertyDefinitionPersist buildPropertyDefinitionPersist(PropertyDefinitionEntity data, eu.eudat.commons.types.descriptiontemplate.DefinitionEntity definition){
         PropertyDefinitionPersist persist = new PropertyDefinitionPersist();
         if (data == null) return persist;
+
+        List<UUID> referenceIds = this.calculateAllReferenceIdsFromData(data, definition);
+        List<ReferenceEntity> references = null;
+        if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(referenceIds)){
+             references = this.queryFactory.query(ReferenceQuery.class).ids(referenceIds).collect();
+        }
         if (data.getFieldSets() != null && !data.getFieldSets().isEmpty()){
             persist.setFieldSets(new HashMap<>());
             for (String key: data.getFieldSets().keySet()) {
                 FieldSetEntity fieldSetEntity = definition != null ? definition.getFieldSetById(key).stream().findFirst().orElse(null) : null;
-                persist.getFieldSets().put(key, this.buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist(data.getFieldSets().get(key), fieldSetEntity));
+                persist.getFieldSets().put(key, this.buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist(data.getFieldSets().get(key), fieldSetEntity, references));
             }
         }
         return persist;
     }
 
-    private @NotNull PropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist(PropertyDefinitionFieldSetEntity data, FieldSetEntity fieldSetEntity){
+    private List<UUID> calculateAllReferenceIdsFromData(PropertyDefinitionEntity data, eu.eudat.commons.types.descriptiontemplate.DefinitionEntity definition){
+        List<String> referenceIds = new ArrayList<>();
+
+        if (data.getFieldSets() != null && !data.getFieldSets().isEmpty()){
+            for (PropertyDefinitionFieldSetEntity fieldSet: data.getFieldSets().values()) {
+                if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(fieldSet.getItems()));
+                for (PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemEntity item: fieldSet.getItems()) {
+                    if (item.getFields() != null && !item.getFields().isEmpty());
+                    for (String key: item.getFields().keySet()) {
+                        if (definition.getFieldById(key).getFirst() != null && FieldType.isReferenceType(definition.getFieldById(key).getFirst().getData().getFieldType())){
+                            if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(item.getFields().get(key).getTextListValue())){
+                                referenceIds.addAll(item.getFields().get(key).getTextListValue());
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(referenceIds)) {
+            referenceIds = referenceIds.stream().distinct().collect(Collectors.toList());
+            return referenceIds.stream().filter(x -> this.conventionService.isValidGuid(UUID.fromString(x))).collect(Collectors.toList()).stream().map(x -> UUID.fromString(x)).collect(Collectors.toList());
+
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    private @NotNull PropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist(PropertyDefinitionFieldSetEntity data, FieldSetEntity fieldSetEntity, List<ReferenceEntity> references){
         PropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist persist = new PropertyDefinitionFieldSetPersist();
         if (data == null) return persist;
         if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(data.getItems())){
             persist.setItems(new ArrayList<>());
             for (PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemEntity itemsPersist: data.getItems()) {
-                persist.getItems().add(this.buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist(itemsPersist, fieldSetEntity));
+                persist.getItems().add(this.buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist(itemsPersist, fieldSetEntity, references));
             }
         }
         return persist;
     }
 
-    private @NotNull PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist(PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemEntity data, FieldSetEntity fieldSetEntity){
+    private @NotNull PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist buildPropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist(PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemEntity data, FieldSetEntity fieldSetEntity, List<ReferenceEntity> references){
         PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist persist = new PropertyDefinitionFieldSetItemPersist();
         if (data == null) return persist;
         if (data.getFields() != null && !data.getFields().isEmpty()){
@@ -1006,14 +1040,14 @@ public class DescriptionServiceImpl implements DescriptionService {
             persist.setComment(data.getComment());
             persist.setFields(new HashMap<>());
             for (String key: data.getFields().keySet()) {
-                eu.eudat.commons.types.descriptiontemplate.FieldEntity fieldEntity = fieldSetEntity != null ? fieldSetEntity.getAllField().stream().findFirst().orElse(null) : null;
-                persist.getFields().put(key, this.buildFieldPersist(data.getFields().get(key), fieldEntity));
+                eu.eudat.commons.types.descriptiontemplate.FieldEntity fieldEntity = fieldSetEntity != null ? fieldSetEntity.getFieldById(key).stream().findFirst().orElse(null) : null;
+                persist.getFields().put(key, this.buildFieldPersist(data.getFields().get(key), fieldEntity, references));
             }
         }
         return persist;
     }
 
-    private @NotNull FieldPersist buildFieldPersist(FieldEntity data, eu.eudat.commons.types.descriptiontemplate.FieldEntity fieldEntity) {
+    private @NotNull FieldPersist buildFieldPersist(FieldEntity data, eu.eudat.commons.types.descriptiontemplate.FieldEntity fieldEntity, List<ReferenceEntity> references) {
         FieldType fieldType = fieldEntity != null && fieldEntity.getData() != null ? fieldEntity.getData().getFieldType() :  FieldType.FREE_TEXT;
 
         FieldPersist persist = new FieldPersist();
@@ -1023,7 +1057,17 @@ public class DescriptionServiceImpl implements DescriptionService {
         else if (FieldType.isTextListType(fieldType)) persist.setTextListValue(data.getTextListValue());
         else if (FieldType.isDateType(fieldType))  persist.setDateValue(persist.getDateValue());
         else if (FieldType.isExternalIdentifierType(fieldType) && data.getExternalIdentifier() != null)  persist.setExternalIdentifier(this.buildExternalIdentifierPersist(data.getExternalIdentifier()));
-        else if (FieldType.isReferenceType(fieldType) && fieldEntity != null ) persist.setTextListValue(data.getTextListValue());
+        else if (FieldType.isReferenceType(fieldType) && fieldEntity != null ) {
+            if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(data.getTextListValue()) && !this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(references)){
+                List<UUID> referenceIdsInField = data.getTextListValue().stream().filter(x -> this.conventionService.isValidGuid(UUID.fromString(x))).collect(Collectors.toList()).stream().map(x -> UUID.fromString(x)).collect(Collectors.toList());
+                if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(referenceIdsInField)){
+                    List<ReferenceEntity> referencesInField = references.stream().filter(x -> referenceIdsInField.contains(x.getId())).collect(Collectors.toList());
+                    if (!this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(referencesInField)){
+                        persist.setReferences(this.buildReferencePersist(referencesInField));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
 
         return persist;
     }
@@ -1036,4 +1080,25 @@ public class DescriptionServiceImpl implements DescriptionService {
         persist.setType(data.getType());
         return persist;
     }
+
+    private @NotNull List<ReferencePersist> buildReferencePersist(List<ReferenceEntity> referenceEntities){
+        List<ReferencePersist> referencesPersist = new ArrayList<>();
+        if (this.conventionService.isListNullOrEmpty(referenceEntities)) return referencesPersist;
+
+        for (ReferenceEntity entity: referenceEntities) {
+            ReferencePersist persist = new ReferencePersist();
+            persist.setId(entity.getId());
+            persist.setLabel(entity.getLabel());
+            persist.setDescription(entity.getDescription());
+            persist.setReference(entity.getReference());
+            persist.setSource(entity.getSource());
+            persist.setSourceType(entity.getSourceType());
+            persist.setTypeId(entity.getTypeId());
+            persist.setAbbreviation(entity.getAbbreviation());
+
+            referencesPersist.add(persist);
+        }
+
+        return referencesPersist;
+    }
 }