refer Command in Linux

In Linux, refer is a command-line utility used for managing and formatting bibliographic references. It works along with text processing tools like troff, groff, or nroff. Users often use it to insert citations and generate bibliographies in documents. It retrieves references from a database, formats them according to specified styles, and inserts them into a document during processing.

Table of Contents

Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the refer command −

• What is refer Command in Linux?
• Syntax of refer Command
• refer Command Options
• How to Install refer Command in Linux?
• Examples of refer Command in Linux
• Best Practices of refer Command in Linux

What is refer Command in Linux?

The refer command in Linux is a powerful tool for managing bibliographic references. Automating tasks like formatting citations and arranging them properly saves time and effort. Researchers and writers can use it to ensure their work is accurate and professional. Overall, the refer command simplifies managing citations in a structured and efficient way.

The refer command is useful for creating academic or technical documents with consistent citations and bibliographies. For example, refer can pull references from a file, sort them by fields like author or date, and generate a formatted bibliography.

Syntax of refer Command

The following syntax is used to run this command in Linux −

refer [-benvCPRS] [-an] [-cfields] [-fn] [-ifields] [-kfield] [-lm,n] [ -pfilename] [-sfields] [-tn] [-Bfield.macro] [fileName...]

Here, fileName represents the list of input files.

refer Command Options

The refer command can accept several options, as discussed in the following table −

We can get more information regarding the refer command −

man refer

How to Install refer Command in Linux?

The refer command is part of the groff package, which is available in most Linux distributions. To install it, you can run one of the following commands depending on your distribution −

sudo apt install groff -y

We can install the refer command on Fedora by using the dnf package manager −

sudo dnf install groff

Similarly, Arch Linux users can use Pacman to install refer on their systems −

sudo pacman -S groff

After installing groff, you can confirm the installation of the refer command by running the following command −

refer --version

Examples of refer Command in Linux

In this section, we will explore some examples of the refer command to understand its working in Linux −

• Using a Reference Database
• Sorting References
• Adding References
• Generate Bibliography

Using a Reference Database

First, create a file containing bibliographic data and name it referenceExample.bib −

nano referenceExample.bib

Now add the following bibliographic entries to the file −

%A Mike Tyson
%T Introduction to Linux
%J Linux Commands
%P 1-5
%D 2025

%A Steve Smith
%T Bash Scripting
%J Linux Tutorials
%P 5-6
%D 2024

Next, create a document that references the entries in your database −

nano inputFile.txt

Let’s process a document with the refer command to include citations −

refer -p referenceExample.bib inputFile.txt > outputFile.pdf

The refer command processes the input document and replaces citation markers with formatted bibliographic references −

You can open the generated PDF file using a PDF viewer to see the final document with citations formatted and included at the end −

xdg-open outputFile.pdf

Sorting References

We can sort the references in the database by a specific order. For example, you can run the following command to sort references by author name −

refer -sA -p referenceFile.bib inputFile.txt

Adding References

We can run the following command to add new references to the bibliography database −

refer -a -p referenceExample.bib

This command prompts you to enter references interactively.

Generate Bibliography

We can execute the refer command with the following syntax to extract and format the bibliography −

refer -b -p references.bib inputFile.txt > outputFile.txt

Best Practices of refer Command in Linux

You can follow the following practices to use the refer command in Linux −

• Regularly update and organize your reference database to make it easier to find information when needed.
• Stick to a single citation style, like APA or MLA, to keep your references accurate and consistent.
• Create backups of your reference database to protect it from accidental loss or corruption.
• Carefully review the references in your final document to ensure they are formatted correctly and match your style guidelines.

That’s all about the Linux refer command.

Conclusion

The refer command is a powerful and efficient tool for managing bibliographic references in Linux. It simplifies the process of adding, formatting, and organizing citations in academic and technical documents. Users can integrate citations seamlessly into their work by understanding its syntax, options, and usage. Installing the command is straightforward, and the examples provided in this tutorial demonstrate how to use it effectively.