The phrase "serve as an important reference" is correct and usable in written English.
It is an idiomatic expression used to express the idea of something being used as a point of comparison or reference. For example, "The guidelines from last year's project will serve as an important reference for this year's project."
We feel that this work will serve as an important reference for the engineering literature.
We believe that the results presented here will serve as an important reference for scientists and engineers in many areas.
Finally, this study proposes a conceptual framework integrated with service design to serve as an important reference for enterprises that undergo similar innovation projects in the future.
The hydraulic-based empirical model for sediment and SOC loss can serve as an important reference for physical-based sediment models and can bring new insights into SOC loss prediction when serious erosion occurs on steep slopes.
The current study should serve as an important reference in the future when using GI as a tool for diet education not only among Japanese population but also other Asian population, who consume rice as a staple food and have similar meal structure.
It could serve as an important reference for decision¬makers and technologists in urban rail research and construction field.
Additionally, this person can serve as an important character reference.
"It serves as an important reference, but it's certainly fading".
EPA air pollution data, gathered for decades at a regional scale, serves as an important reference and quality check for the company.
By summarizing work that has already been done on organometallic compounds, it serves as an important reference for those studying their vibrational spectra and will, in the end, lead to a clearer understanding of other research that needs to be done in order to help researchers determine new research directions.
The original has served as an important reference source up to the present.
