diff --git a/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiReferenceResolver.cs b/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiReferenceResolver.cs
index b8b75bd13..bdd885951 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiReferenceResolver.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiReferenceResolver.cs
@@ -196,9 +196,13 @@ public override void Visit(IDictionary<string, OpenApiLink> links)
         /// <param name="schema"></param>
         public override void Visit(ref JsonSchema schema)
         {
-            if (schema.GetRef() != null)
+            var reference = schema.GetRef();
+            var description = schema.GetDescription();
+            var summary = schema.GetSummary();
+
+            if (reference != null)
             {
-                schema = ResolveJsonSchemaReference(schema);
+                schema = ResolveJsonSchemaReference(reference, description, summary);
             }
             
             var builder = new JsonSchemaBuilder();
@@ -230,17 +234,8 @@ private Dictionary<string, JsonSchema> ResolveJsonSchemas(IDictionary<string, Js
             return resolvedSchemas;
         }
 
-        private JsonSchema ResolveJsonSchemaReference(JsonSchema schema)
+        public JsonSchema ResolveJsonSchemaReference(Uri reference, string description = null, string summary = null)
         {
-            var reference = schema.GetRef();
-            var description = schema.GetDescription();
-            var summary = schema.GetSummary();
-
-            if (reference == null)
-            {
-                return schema;
-            }
-
             var refUri = $"http://everything.json{reference.OriginalString.Split('#').LastOrDefault()}";
             var resolvedSchema = (JsonSchema)SchemaRegistry.Global.Get(new Uri(refUri));
 
@@ -310,10 +305,11 @@ private void ResolveTags(IList<OpenApiTag> tags)
         private void ResolveJsonSchema(JsonSchema schema, Action<JsonSchema> assign)
         {
             if (schema == null) return;
+            var reference = schema.GetRef();
 
-            if (schema.GetRef() != null)
+            if (reference != null)
             {
-                assign(ResolveJsonSchemaReference(schema));
+                assign(ResolveJsonSchemaReference(reference));
             }
         }
 
@@ -338,9 +334,10 @@ private void ResolveJsonSchemaList(IList<JsonSchema> list, Action<List<JsonSchem
             for (int i = 0; i < list.Count; i++)
             {
                 var entity = list[i];
-                if (entity.GetRef() != null)
+                var reference = entity.GetRef();
+                if (reference != null)
                 {
-                    list[i] = ResolveJsonSchemaReference(entity);
+                    list[i] = ResolveJsonSchemaReference(reference);
                 }
             }
 
@@ -368,9 +365,11 @@ private void ResolveJsonSchemaMap(IDictionary<string, JsonSchema> map, Action<ID
             foreach (var key in map.Keys.ToList())
             {
                 var entity = map[key];
-                if (entity.GetRef() != null)
+                var reference = entity.GetRef();
+
+                if (reference != null)
                 {
-                    map[key] = ResolveJsonSchemaReference(entity);
+                    map[key] = ResolveJsonSchemaReference(reference);
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiWorkspace.cs b/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiWorkspace.cs
index 112b1b88b..dd0c36265 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiWorkspace.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.OpenApi/Services/OpenApiWorkspace.cs
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the MIT license. 
 
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.IO;
+using System.Linq;
+using Json.Schema;
 using Microsoft.OpenApi.Extensions;
 using Microsoft.OpenApi.Interfaces;
 using Microsoft.OpenApi.Models;
@@ -131,6 +133,28 @@ public IOpenApiReferenceable ResolveReference(OpenApiReference reference)
             return null;
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Returns the target of a JSON schema reference from within the workspace
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="reference"></param>
+        /// <returns></returns>
+        public JsonSchema ResolveJsonSchemaReference(Uri reference)
+        {
+            var doc = _documents.Values.First();
+            if (doc != null)
+            {
+                foreach (var jsonSchema in doc.Components.Schemas)
+                {
+                    var refUri = new Uri($"http://everything.json/components/schemas/{jsonSchema.Key}");
+                    SchemaRegistry.Global.Register(refUri, jsonSchema.Value);
+                }
+
+                var resolver = new OpenApiReferenceResolver(doc);
+                return resolver.ResolveJsonSchemaReference(reference);
+            }
+            return null;
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// 
         /// </summary>
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Tests/Workspaces/OpenApiWorkspaceTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Tests/Workspaces/OpenApiWorkspaceTests.cs
index 4afdedbd1..564e893a4 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Tests/Workspaces/OpenApiWorkspaceTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.OpenApi.Tests/Workspaces/OpenApiWorkspaceTests.cs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the MIT license.
 
 using System;
@@ -75,14 +75,13 @@ public void OpenApiWorkspacesAllowDocumentsToReferenceEachOther()
         public void OpenApiWorkspacesCanResolveExternalReferences()
         {
             var workspace = new OpenApiWorkspace();
-            workspace.AddDocument("common", CreateCommonDocument());
-            var schema = workspace.ResolveReference(new OpenApiReference()
-            {
-                Id = "test",
-                Type = ReferenceType.Schema,
-                ExternalResource = "common"
-            }) as JsonSchema;
+            var doc = CreateCommonDocument();
+            var location = "common";
+
+            workspace.AddDocument(location, doc);
 
+            var schema = workspace.ResolveJsonSchemaReference(new Uri("http://everything.json/common#/components/schemas/test"));
+            
             Assert.NotNull(schema);
             Assert.Equal("The referenced one", schema.GetDescription());
         }