cross-reference vs mention

cross-reference and mention both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cross-reference	Yes	No	No	No
mention	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, mention is a hypernym of cross-reference; that is, mention is a word with a broader meaning than cross-reference:

cross-reference: a reference at one place in a work to information at another place in the same work
mention: a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage

Other hypernyms of cross-reference include acknowledgment, citation, cite, credit, quotation, reference.

cross-reference (noun)	mention (noun)
a reference at one place in a work to information at another place in the same work	an official recognition of merit
	a remark that calls attention to something or someone
	a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage