The abbreviation cf. (short for the Latin: confer/conferatur, both meaning “compare”)^[1] is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. It is used to form a contrast, for example: “Abbott (2010) found supportive results in her memory experiment, unlike those of previous work (cf. Zeller & Williams, 2007).”^[2] It is recommended that “cf.” be used only to suggest a comparison, and the word “see” be used to point to a source of information.^[3][4]

Source: Cf. – Wikipedia