Submission Guidelines for JTRP Technical Reports
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 Transportation Research Board's Information for Authors, 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 double 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. More information about the purpose and suggested content for the Technical Summary can be found in the template above.
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.
- 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 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 APA guide for in-text citations .
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 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 (e.g., “See Table 1.1”).
- Do not embed a table from another source that cannot be edited. Please key it in.
Figures
- Please submit figures as separate files rather than embedding them in the Word document. This will increase the quality of the figures in your typeset report. Within the text of the report, include the figure’s caption to indicate where it should be placed.
- Figures should be in .jpg, .tif, or .eps format. Photographs should be a minimum of 300 dpi at the desired scale of reproduction. Line drawings should be a minimum of 800 dpi at the desired scale of reproduction.
- Files should be named by figure number (e.g., Figure 2.1).
- 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).
- 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 (e.g., “See Figure 1.1”).
Equations and Formulas
- Equations and formulas in mathematical expression should be provided in main text of paper. It is preferred that equations are prepared using MathType, but the equation editor provided in Word is acceptable.
- 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”).
Alternative Text
In order to ensure published reports can be used and enjoyed by the widest possible audience, alternative (alt) text is required for all photos, drawings, charts, graphs, equations, etc. Alt text is a concise (25-30 word) visual description of an image used by screen readers that enable people to listen to a publication rather than read it.
Once a report manuscript has been accepted for publication, authors should provide alt text for all figures in their work. Supplying alt text is a mandatory responsibility of the authors, and no work will be published without it.
More information about alt text and best practices for writing is available at Purdue’s LibGuide on Accessibility, as well as the Federal government’s Section 508 site.
Version: 21 January 2026
References
Follow the APA reference style.
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 APA guide for in-text citations .
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 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 (e.g., “See Table 1.1”).
- Do not embed a table from another source that cannot be edited. Please key it in.
Figures
- Please submit figures as separate files rather than embedding them in the Word document. This will increase the quality of the figures in your typeset report. Within the text of the report, include the figure’s caption to indicate where it should be placed.
- Figures should be in .jpg, .tif, or .eps format. Photographs should be a minimum of 300 dpi at the desired scale of reproduction. Line drawings should be a minimum of 800 dpi at the desired scale of reproduction.
- Files should be named by figure number (e.g., Figure 2.1).
- 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).
- 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 (e.g., “See Figure 1.1”).
Equations and Formulas
- Equations and formulas in mathematical expression should be provided in main text of paper. It is preferred that equations are prepared using MathType, but the equation editor provided in Word is acceptable.
- 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”).
Alternative Text
In order to ensure published reports can be used and enjoyed by the widest possible audience, alternative (alt) text is required for all photos, drawings, charts, graphs, equations, etc. Alt text is a concise (25-30 word) visual description of an image used by screen readers that enable people to listen to a publication rather than read it.
Once a report manuscript has been accepted for publication, authors should provide alt text for all figures in their work. Supplying alt text is a mandatory responsibility of the authors, and no work will be published without it.
More information about alt text and best practices for writing is available at Purdue’s LibGuide on Accessibility, as well as the Federal government’s Section 508 site.
Version: 21 January 2026