lkbib(1) General Commands Manual lkbib(1)

# [Name](#Name)

lkbib - search bibliographic databases

# [Synopsis](#Synopsis)

`lkbib` \[**-n**] \[**-i fields**] \[**-p file**] ... \[**-t n**] *key* ...

`lkbib` **--help**

`lkbib` **-v**

`lkbib` **--version**

# [Description](#Description)

*lkbib* searches bibliographic databases for references matching all keywords *key* and writes any references found to the standard output stream. It reads databases given by **-p** options and then (unless **-n** is given) a default database. The default database is taken from the *REFER* environment variable if it is set, otherwise it is */usr/dict/papers/Ind*. For each database *file* to be searched, if an index file*.i* created by [*indxbib*(1)](/man/os/groff/indxbib.1) exists, then it will be searched instead; each index can cover multiple databases.

# [Options](#Options)

**--help** displays a usage message, while **-v** and **--version** show version information; all exit afterward.

[**-i string**](#i)

When searching files for which no index exists, ignore the contents of fields whose names are in *string*.

[**-n**](#n)

Suppress search of default database.

[**-p file**](#p)

Search *file*. Multiple **-p** options can be used.

[**-t n**](#t)

Require only the first *n* characters of keys to be given. The default is 6.

# [Exit status](#Exit_status)

*lkbib* exits with status **0** on successful operation, status **2** if the program cannot interpret its command-line arguments, and status **1** if it encounters an error during operation.

# [Environment](#Environment)

[*REFER*](#REFER)

Assign this variable a file name to override the default database.

# [Files](#Files)

*/usr/dict/papers/Ind*

Default database to be used if the *REFER* environment variable is not set.

file*.i*

Index files.

# [See also](#See_also)

“Some Applications of Inverted Indexes on the Unix System”, by M. E. Lesk, 1978, AT&T Bell Laboratories Computing Science Technical Report No. 69.

[*refer*(1)](/man/os/groff/refer.1), [*lookbib*(1)](/man/os/groff/lookbib.1), [*indxbib*(1)](/man/os/groff/indxbib.1)

2026-08-30 groff 1.24.1

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Document: lkbib(1) from groff 1.24.1-r4 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/groff.git