Search part of character reference rejected (6)
I believe the answer is:
ferret
'search' is the definition.
(ferreting is a kind of searching)
'part of character reference rejected' is the wordplay.
'part of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'rejected' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'terref' is hidden within 'character reference'.
'terref' in reverse letter order is 'FERRET'.
(Other definitions for ferret that I've seen before include "Small carnivore" , "Small member of weasel family, good for catching rabbits" , "Kind of weasel, a rabbit hunter" , "Tame polecat" , "Small fierce animal used to hunt rabbits" .)