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There are a few reasons why the "populate()" function may not be working properly, such as wrong schema definition, incorrect reference field, or even a data mismatch. Below are some steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

1. Check the schema definition: Ensure that the schema definition for both the referenced and referring models is correct. The reference field should be defined as "type: Schema.Types.ObjectId, ref: 'ReferringModel'". Make sure that both models are using the correct schema definition.

2. Verify the reference field: Double-check that the reference field is pointing to the correct model and property. It should match the name of the model and the property name that is being referenced.

3. Check for data consistency: Make sure that the IDs in the reference field match the IDs of the objects in the referenced collection. Any inconsistency will cause the "populate()" function to fail.

4. Use the callback function: Instead of chaining the "populate()" method after the query, use a callback function to get the reference data. The callback function will give you more flexibility in error handling and performance.

5. Use a virtual property: Define a virtual property in the referring schema and use it to populate the referenced model. Virtual properties can be used to join data from different collections in MongoDB.

Here is an example of querying MongoDB using Mongoose with a virtual property:

const ReferringModel = mongoose.model('ReferringModel', {
    name: String,
    referringField: {
        type: mongoose.Schema.Types.ObjectId,
        ref: 'ReferencedModel'
    },
    virtualField: {
        type: mongoose.Schema.Types.ObjectId
    }
});

ReferringModel
    .find()
    .populate('referringField')
    .exec(function (err, referringModels) {
        if (err) {
            console.log(err);
        } else {
            referringModels.forEach(function (referringModel) {
                referringModel.virtualField = referringModel.referringField._id;
            });
            console.log(referringModels);
        }
    });

In the example above, the virtualField property is created in the referring schema and is used to populate the referenced model. Once the data is obtained, the virtualField property is set to the ID of the referenced field to avoid future undefined reference errors.