What if they agreed and the form wants an email?

Use the contact they told you to use. Do not guess an email address from a pattern of names.

Is a recruiter a referral?

Only when the form is asking for that recruiter. An outside recruiter and an employee referral are different boxes on many forms. Read the label.

Who referred you?

A referral field asks for a person, usually someone who works there or who submitted you. It is a name, not a compliment. That person may be asked about you. Write the name only when it would not surprise them.

What the employer is checking

They are checking that the referral is real and that the person is in a position to refer. Sometimes a bonus or a source code depends on it. A name you cannot support puts the other person in an awkward spot and puts a false flag on your application. An empty field is better.

How to answer honestly

Name someone only if they know you are applying and they agreed to be named. Use the contact the form asks for, and nothing warmer than the truth. If they told you a spelling or a program to use, follow that. If no one agreed, leave the field blank. Finding the job yourself is ordinary. It is not a lesser kind of person.

A short example

These are shapes, not answers from a real applicant. Use the stronger one only where every detail is true for you.

Good. I am naming the person who told me about this opening and agreed to be listed. They know I am submitting this application. I am not adding anyone else.

Bad. I am putting a well-known employee I have never spoken to, because I saw their name on a talk. I hope they are not asked.

Pitfalls

A name from a website, a talk, or a friend of a friend who did not agree.
A referral you describe differently in the question about how you heard.
Contact details the person did not give you permission to file.

How ApplyASAP answers it

ApplyASAP enters a referral only when you provided the person. It never invents an employee, a friend at the company, or a recruiter to improve the source.

ApplyASAP drafts answers from your real resume and never invents experience. It does not change your employers, dates, degrees, or titles, and it does not invent a number, a certification, or a person you managed.

Guides that support this answer

Resume tips and cover letters are where the longer proof for this answer lives. The roles below are close to that proof. Reading a posting, tailoring, and follow-up live in the job search guides.

Questions

What if they agreed and the form wants an email?: Use the contact they told you to use. Do not guess an email address from a pattern of names.
Is a recruiter a referral?: Only when the form is asking for that recruiter. An outside recruiter and an employee referral are different boxes on many forms. Read the label.