How does one correctly use “q.v.”?

Question

Wikitionary mentions offhand that "q.v." is used to reference material, but the definition it gives is far too sparse for my taste. My question is, what does "q.v." stand for and when should one use it? How does it compare with "cf.", for example?

Answer 1

q.v. stands for the phrase   quod vide : "on this (matter) go see"

Cf. is mainly used to reference articles proving or documenting one's point or having authority, not to avoid treating a particular aspect in the course of the writing.

Compared to cf., most authors restrict its use to reference another part of the same work (usually a book) where they treat the subject matter. This is also used to advise the reader to read another work they endorse.

In a monography or a large book, there is seldom one perfect way of organizing serially all the content. q.v. gives a mean to the author to help his reader learn more at his leasure:

• without making footnotes
• without distracting or boring people already knowledgeable
• without repeating part of the material

On critical editions, you will sometimes find q.v. in margin comments or apostilles as a quick comment for a quote, giving its source.

Answer 2

This is what my NOAD says:

q.v.
Abbreviation
Used to direct a reader to another part of a book or article for further information.

ORIGIN from Latin quod vide, literally ‘which see.’

We can say that the meaning is something like "go to see...". Give a look at this book.

Answer 3

cf. stands for the Latin word confer (not the Italian confronta), and means "bring together", or more loosely translated, "hold what I just said next to this other thing". For example: "We shouldn't eat dogs, because they are cute (cf. rabbits)."
q.v. generally means something more along the lines of, "I talk more about this over here", or "if you don't know what this means, this other book is a good introduction." EXAMPLE: In David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest", the deliberately over-academic footnotes (and footnotes on the footnotes) are full of "q.v."s, generally used ironically to emphasize trivial information about the novel's fictional future US/Canada/Mexico supernation O.N.A.N. For example, a lengthy footnote #24 lists all the experimental films made by the protagonists' father, and is frequently referred back to in later footnotes as these films appear in the plot. "Wayne's not-to-be-fucked-with papa eventually litigated the kid's segment out because the film had the word Homo in the title, q.v. note 24."

Answer 4

Use q.v. when your text names a work or an author and you think the reader might benefit from consulting that source.

As Buckley wrote in God And Man At Yale (q.v.), ...