Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to an apparatus and associated method for generating a reference voltage for a resistive sense memory (RSM) cell, such as an STRAM cell. A dummy reference cell used to generate a reference voltage to sense a resistive state of an adjacent RSM cell. The dummy reference cell comprises a switching device, a resistive sense element (RSE) programmed to a selected resistive state, and a dummy resistor coupled to the RSE. A magnitude of the reference voltage is set in relation to the selected resistive state of the RSE and the resistance of the dummy resistor.