diff --git a/packages/apidom-ls/test/fixtures/deref/dereferenced.json b/packages/apidom-ls/test/fixtures/deref/dereferenced.json
index 2e878f5017..1aa46a845f 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-ls/test/fixtures/deref/dereferenced.json
+++ b/packages/apidom-ls/test/fixtures/deref/dereferenced.json
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
       "userId": {
         "name": "userId",
         "in": "query",
-        "description": "override",
-        "required": true
+        "required": true,
+        "description": "override"
       },
       "indirection1": {
         "name": "userId",
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@
       "externalRef": {
         "name": "externalParameter",
         "in": "query",
-        "description": "another ref",
-        "required": true
+        "required": true,
+        "description": "another ref"
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/visitor.ts b/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/visitor.ts
index ad5fb6ef0f..d6dbae72c8 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/visitor.ts
+++ b/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/visitor.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,18 @@
 import stampit from 'stampit';
-import { hasIn, pathSatisfies, propEq, none } from 'ramda';
-import { isUndefined, isNotUndefined } from 'ramda-adjunct';
+import { propEq, none } from 'ramda';
+import { isUndefined } from 'ramda-adjunct';
 import {
   isElement,
   isPrimitiveElement,
   isStringElement,
   isMemberElement,
+  isObjectElement,
   visit,
-  Element,
   find,
   cloneShallow,
   cloneDeep,
   toValue,
+  Element,
 } from '@swagger-api/apidom-core';
 import { evaluate as jsonPointerEvaluate, uriToPointer } from '@swagger-api/apidom-json-pointer';
 import {
@@ -193,7 +194,7 @@ const OpenApi3_1DereferenceVisitor = stampit({
       this.indirections.pop();
 
       const mergeAndAnnotateReferencedElement = <T extends Element>(refedElement: T): T => {
-        const copy = cloneDeep(refedElement);
+        const copy = cloneShallow(refedElement);
 
         // annotate fragment with info about original Reference element
         copy.setMetaProperty('ref-fields', {
@@ -207,16 +208,19 @@ const OpenApi3_1DereferenceVisitor = stampit({
         copy.setMetaProperty('ref-origin', reference.uri);
 
         // override description and summary (outer has higher priority then inner)
-        const hasDescription = pathSatisfies(isNotUndefined, ['description'], referencingElement);
-        const hasSummary = pathSatisfies(isNotUndefined, ['summary'], referencingElement);
-
-        if (hasDescription && hasIn('description', refedElement)) {
-          // @ts-ignore
-          copy.description = referencingElement.description;
-        }
-        if (hasSummary && hasIn('summary', refedElement)) {
-          // @ts-ignore
-          copy.summary = referencingElement.summary;
+        if (isObjectElement(refedElement)) {
+          if (referencingElement.hasKey('description') && 'description' in refedElement) {
+            // @ts-ignore
+            copy.remove('description');
+            // @ts-ignore
+            copy.set('description', referencingElement.get('description'));
+          }
+          if (referencingElement.hasKey('summary') && 'summary' in refedElement) {
+            // @ts-ignore
+            copy.remove('summary');
+            // @ts-ignore
+            copy.set('summary', referencingElement.get('summary'));
+          }
         }
 
         return copy;
diff --git a/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/fixtures/cycle-internal/root.json b/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/fixtures/cycle-internal/root.json
index badb77703d..78cef3dfef 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/fixtures/cycle-internal/root.json
+++ b/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/fixtures/cycle-internal/root.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "openapi": "3.1.0",
   "components": {
-    "schemas": {
-      "User": {
-        "type": "object",
-        "properties": {
-          "parent": {
-            "$ref": "#/components/schemas/User"
+    "parameters": {
+      "param1": {
+        "examples": {
+          "example1": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/parameters/param1",
+            "description": "test"
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/index.ts b/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/index.ts
index a2d2ddde9a..3cf9167b93 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/index.ts
+++ b/packages/apidom-reference/test/dereference/strategies/openapi-3-1/reference-object/index.ts
@@ -152,9 +152,9 @@ describe('dereference', function () {
             const dereferenced = await dereference(rootFilePath, {
               parse: { mediaType: mediaTypes.latest('json') },
             });
-            const parent = evaluate('/0/components/schemas/User/properties/parent', dereferenced);
+            const parent = evaluate('/0/components/parameters/param1/examples', dereferenced);
             const cyclicParent = evaluate(
-              '/0/components/schemas/User/properties/parent/properties/parent',
+              '/0/components/parameters/param1/examples/example1/examples',
               dereferenced,
             );