Submission Guidelines for JTRP Technical Reports

Contents

General Style Guidelines

In an effort to attain a level of consistency among JTRP technical reports, as well as streamline the publication process, JTRP authors should observe the guidelines provided on this page. For additional resources regarding style, usage, and spelling, please refer to the American Psychological Association (APA) for Style and Grammar and References and Merriam-Webster for spelling.

Current publications follow the standard format outlined in these guidelines.

Report Formatting

It is recommended that authors use the JTRP Technical Report Template and the JTRP Technical Summary Template when drafting reports.

  • Reports must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.docx).
  • Use a 12-point font and single- space paragraphs.
  • Use only one space after periods.
  • For chapter titles and headings, use the style formatting options provided in Word. Chapter titles/headings should follow the template provided above and should match entries in the Table of Contents.

Report and Summary Content and Length

Technical Report: Each report, including the technical summary and references, should not exceed 15,000 words, except with the written permission of the JTRP Director. Note that 15,000 is the maximum length; authors are encouraged to keep reports to the minimum possible length and numbers of figures and tables necessary to provide essential information to the reader.

Technical Summary: Each paper must have a technical summary. The technical summary must be no longer than 1,000 words, must be self-contained, and must not require reference to the report to be understood. In some cases, only the technical summary of a report is read; in other cases, the technical summary prompts further reading of the entire report. The technical summary should present the primary objectives and scope of the study or the reasons for writing the report; the techniques or approaches should be described only to the extent necessary for comprehension, and conclusions should be presented concisely and informatively. The abstract should not contain unfamiliar terms that are not defined, undefined acronyms, reference citations, or displayed equations.

Along with the text for the technical summary, authors should submit two or three figures or tables that are representative of the research being discussed in the report and are relevant to the information provided in the technical summary.

Alternative Text

In order to comply with recent updates to US law, alt text is now required for all photos, drawings, charts, graphs, equations, etc., included in JTRP publications.

See the JTRP Alt Text Guidelines and Resources for more information.

Organization of Technical Reports

  1. Title Page
    1. Title of Technical Report
    2. SPR number
    3. Author names, titles, affiliations, and ORCID iDs
  2. Acknowledgments (if any)
  3. Text for Technical Summary
    1. On this page, please indicate which figures from the report should be used in the technical summary.
  4. Table of Contents
    1. Within chapter entries, it is only necessary to include down to the first subhead level (e.g., 3.1, 3.2).
  5. List of Tables
  6. List of Figures
  7. Body of report
  8. Appendices (if any)
    1. Note: Appendices that are in Word format and are included in the same document as the report itself should go here. If you have appendices that are separate documents or files or are in pdf or Excel format, they can be submitted separately as supplemental content.
    2. Try to avoid the use of appendices by including pertinent material in the paper itself. Where necessary, include a note that background material (such as derivation of formulas, specifications, or survey forms) is available from the corresponding author or in another report, which should be cited in the reference list.
  9. Reference list

Formatting Guidelines

Reports must be submitted in Microsoft Word. For chapter titles and headings, use the formatting options provided in Word. Headings should use the following numbering convention: 

1. CHAPTER TITLE [Heading 1/H1—ALL CAPS]

1.1 Second-Level Heading [Heading 2/H2—Title Case Caps]

1.1.1 Third-Level Heading [Heading 3/H3--Title Case Caps]

1.1.1.1 Fourth-level heading. [Heading 4/H4--Title Case Caps]

1.1.1.1.1 Fifth-level heading. [Heading 5/H5--Title Case Caps]

Additional Formatting Requirements

  • Lists: For numbered and bulleted lists, please use Word’s formatting tools.
  • Footnotes: Do not use footnotes in the text. Incorporate the information into the text or delete the notes. This includes references (endnotes) which should follow APA style (Author, Year).
  • Abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols: Abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols must be fully defined at first use in the paper; the full term should be spelled out first, followed by the abbreviated term in parentheses.
  • Measurements: Authors are encouraged to provide measurements in both SI (metric) and U.S. customary units. The measurement unit of the original research should be followed by the equivalent conversion in parentheses. Reports submitted for publication without unit conversions will be published with the measurement units as submitted. For tables and figures, provide only the units of the original research and show the base unit conversion in a footnote; for example, NOTE: 1 mi = 1.61 km. Alternatively, in figures, equivalent units may be shown on the top and right axes of data plots.

References

Follow the APA reference style. Reference the Purdue OWL’s APA guide for examples.

Reference List

  • The reference list should be in alphabetical order and contain only references cited in the text.
  • Include a DOI whenever possible (typically for journal articles and recently published books).
  • Be sure that references to printed sources are complete. Include names of corporate or personal authors or editors, or both; title of article, chapter, book, or report; publisher or issuing agency; volume and issue or report number; page numbers; location of publisher; and year of publication.
  • If a reference has no date, use “n.d.”
  • Review the basics of reference lists as well as how to cite various sources using the Purdue OWL’s reference list guide.

In-Text Citations

  • Numbered references—indicated by footnotes or endnotes—are not accepted.
  • Denote a reference at the appropriate place in the text in author/date format.
  • For more information and guidance, refer to the Purdue OWL’s in-text citations guide.

Report Contents

Tables

  • Use Word’s Table feature to create all tables. All tables should be embedded in the text of your Word files where you would like them to appear.
  • Tables have their own titles, which should appear above each table as well as listed in the List of Tables. Supplementary table information, including the source if applicable, should appear below the table.
  • Tables are numbered according to chapter number, followed by a period, followed by the sequential table number (e.g., Table 1.1, Table 1.2…Table 2.1, Table 2.2).
  • Table titles: Should be in Title Case (All Major Words Capitalized in the Title.)
    1. Table titles should appear as follows: Table 1.1 This is the title for Table 1.1.
  • Reference must be made to each table by number at the appropriate place in the text, for example, “….as shown in Table 1.1.” or lorem ipsum (Table 1.1).
  • Do not embed a table from another source that cannot be edited. Please key it in.

Figures

  • Embed figures directly in the Word document. Use Word’s Caption feature to include the figure’s caption below each figure.
  • Alternative text is required for each figure (image, chart, diagram, map, etc.). See the JTRP Alt Text Guidelines and Resources for more detailed information.
  • Figures are numbered using the same format as tables (e.g., Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2, Figure 1.3…Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, Figure 2.3).
  • Figure Captions: Should be in Title Case (All Major Words Capitalized in the Caption.)
    1. Captions should appear as follows: Figure 1.1 This is the Caption for Figure 1.1.
  • Reference must be made to each figure by number at the appropriate place in the text, for example, “….as shown in Figure 1.1.” or lorem ipsum (Figure 1.1).

Equations and Formulas

  • Equations and formulas in mathematical expression should be provided in main text of paper. The equation editor provided in Word is acceptable to use.
  • Alternative text is required for each equation. See the JTRP Alt Text Guidelines and Resources for more detailed information.
  • In each equation/formula number, provide the chapter number, followed by a period, followed by the sequential figure number (e.g., Equation 1.1, Equation 1.2, Equation 1.3…Equation 2.1, Equation 2.2, Equation 2.3).
  • Reference must be made to each equation/formula by number at the appropriate place in the text (e.g., “See Equation 1.1”).

Submission and Review of Technical Reports

The submission and review procedures for JTRP technical reports are outlined in a document the JTRP report publishing process document.

Version: 06 April 2026