A method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving reference signals in Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems includes determining whether a dedicated reference signal is detected in a current subframe; estimating, if a dedicated reference signal is detected in the current subframe, a data channel using the dedicated reference signal to receive data; and estimating, if no dedicated reference signal is detected in the current subframe, a data channel using a common reference signal detected in the current subframe to receive data. The transmission scheme uses a DeModulation Reference Signal (DM-RS) for channel response estimation. To secure backward compatibility of the LTE-A system, a Common Reference Signal is transmitted in normal subframes.