I would (will and do) document that it returns an array...When a funtion returns an array reference, document that it returns an array reference.

Ummm. Perhaps it just has to do with the way I've been taught to document my code but documenting that a subroutine returns an array is very ambiguous especially considering the fact that you can have a subroutine detect context and return the contents of the array for list context and an arrayref in scalar context (this is the behavior I actually expect when the documentation says array because part of my job involves using mod_perl where you need to watch memory consumption). Of course, you could also have it return the number of elements in scalar context. However, just saying that it returns an array can most certainly be a cause for confusion. Since the purpose of documentation is to make certain that the reader clearly understands how to use your module, avoid using "returns an array".