diff --git a/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py b/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py
index 13c6a7be4c712f6768f76f953ec303a5fe08df19..a117aeb2c2eb8614b475badc0cd960504e505a6e 100644
--- a/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py
+++ b/src/caoscrawler/crawl.py
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ class Crawler(object):
 
         return self._synchronize(self.target_data, commit_changes, unique_names=unique_names)
 
-    def references_entity_without_id(self, identifiable: db.Record):
+    def has_reference_value_without_id(self, identifiable: db.Record):
         """
         Returns True if there is at least one property in record which:
         a) is a reference property AND
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@ class Crawler(object):
                     resolved_references = True
 
                 # can we check whether the record(identifiable) exists on the remote server?
-                elif not self.references_entity_without_id(
+                elif not self.has_reference_value_without_id(
                         self.identifiableAdapter.get_identifiable(record)):
                     # TODO: remove deepcopy?
                     identified_record = (
diff --git a/unittests/test_tool.py b/unittests/test_tool.py
index b77d2a905b27e38d5aaba380734d4c9aa2a954cf..7eba03fed70f531849e1b70d3602c01a5ea3f75a 100755
--- a/unittests/test_tool.py
+++ b/unittests/test_tool.py
@@ -392,8 +392,8 @@ def test_split_into_inserts_and_updates_single(crawler_mocked_identifiable_retri
 
     assert crawler.get_from_any_cache(entlist[0]) is None
     assert crawler.get_from_any_cache(entlist[1]) is None
-    assert not crawler.references_entity_without_id(entlist[0])
-    assert not crawler.references_entity_without_id(entlist[1])
+    assert not crawler.has_reference_value_without_id(entlist[0])
+    assert not crawler.has_reference_value_without_id(entlist[1])
     assert crawler.identifiableAdapter.retrieve_identified_record_for_record(
         entlist[0]).id == 1111
     assert crawler.identifiableAdapter.retrieve_identified_record_for_record(
@@ -542,23 +542,23 @@ def test_no_uncached_entity_object_in_references(crawler):
 
 
 def test_references_entities_without_ids(crawler, ident):
-    assert not crawler.references_entity_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
-                                                    .add_property('last_name', 123)
-                                                    .add_property('first_name', 123))
+    assert not crawler.has_reference_value_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
+                                                      .add_property('last_name', 123)
+                                                      .add_property('first_name', 123))
     # id and rec with id
-    assert not crawler.references_entity_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
-                                                    .add_property('first_name', 123)
-                                                    .add_property('last_name', db.Record(id=123)))
+    assert not crawler.has_reference_value_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
+                                                      .add_property('first_name', 123)
+                                                      .add_property('last_name', db.Record(id=123)))
     # id and rec with id and one unneeded prop
-    assert crawler.references_entity_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
-                                                .add_property('first_name', 123)
-                                                .add_property('stuff', db.Record())
-                                                .add_property('last_name', db.Record(id=123)))
+    assert crawler.has_reference_value_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
+                                                  .add_property('first_name', 123)
+                                                  .add_property('stuff', db.Record())
+                                                  .add_property('last_name', db.Record(id=123)))
 
     # one identifying prop is missing
-    assert crawler.references_entity_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
-                                                .add_property('first_name', 123)
-                                                .add_property('last_name', db.Record()))
+    assert crawler.has_reference_value_without_id(db.Record().add_parent("Person")
+                                                  .add_property('first_name', 123)
+                                                  .add_property('last_name', db.Record()))
 
 
 def test_replace_entities_with_ids(crawler):