---
name: "lkbib"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "groff"
version: "1.24.2-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/lkbib"
---

# lkbib(1)

search bibliographic databases

## Name

lkbib - search bibliographic databases

## Synopsis

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

**lkbib** **--help**

**lkbib** **-v**

**lkbib** **--version**

## 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)](/indxbib/1.md) exists, then it will be searched instead; each index can cover multiple databases.

## Options

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

- **-i** *string*

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

- **-n**

  Suppress search of default database.

- **-p** *file*

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

- **-t** *n*

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

## 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

- *REFER*

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

## Files

- */usr/dict/papers/Ind*

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

- file*.i*

  Index files.

## 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)](/refer/1.md), [*lookbib*(1)](/lookbib/1.md), [*indxbib*(1)](/indxbib/1.md)