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Instructions For Authors

General Guidelines 
All Annual Meeting paper submissions will be evaluated based on originality, research content, relevance to the conference, and readability. By submitting to TRB, all authors agree to adhere to TRB’s policies and requirements explained in our instructions for authors. Papers may be submitted on the condition that the corresponding author and all co-authors have reviewed and approved each submitted version. While resubmissions of the same paper are discouraged, when they do occur, each version must have approval from all the authors. All papers shall be free of fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism as defined by the US Office of Research Integrity. Failure to comply with any of TRB’s policies may result in rejection.  
 
TRB reserves the right to accept or reject any submission to the annual meeting.  

Statement on Paper Subject Areas 
The TRB Annual Meeting is supported by more than 60 sponsors, including federal funding. As a recipient of federal funding, TRB is obligated to conform to its federal agreements, as well as applicable laws, regulations, executive orders, and agency guidance, as may be updated periodically. 

The relevant topic areas for papers and presentations are developed by authors and speakers, and the technical and scientific review of papers is conducted by volunteers with appropriate expertise. While TRB exercises independence in the conduct of the Annual Meeting, TRB will continue to monitor the current research priorities of our sponsors, which may affect the scope of topics to be presented at the Annual Meeting. We recognize that research priorities continue to be clarified at the federal and state level.   This makes it impractical for TRB to provide specific topic areas in advance of the Annual Meeting. In addition, TRB’s ability to review papers is constrained by the availability of suitable reviewers on a very tight review schedule.  For these reasons, TRB may not accept otherwise worthy papers and presentation ideas. Please note, TRB is unable to pre-screen submissions for any reason before the August 1st deadline.  
  
TRB appreciates your understanding and continued contributions to the TRB community. We will continue to communicate updates as they become available, and we look forward to a successful 2026 Annual Meeting. 

Instructions  |  LaTeX Template  |  Frequently Asked Questions for Authors
TRBAM Editorial Manager  |  Annual Meeting Homepage
 

Paper Review Schedule
July 1: Submission site opens
August 1: Submission site closes
August–September: Submission Review
October 1–30: Paper decisions sent
November 20: For accepted papers, this is the deadline to upload a Research Summary or post the full paper for meeting attendees in the online program
November 21: Annual Meeting Online Program content goes live

2026 TRB Annual Meeting Submission Requirements 

  • Full papers are required for all submissions to TRBAM 2026
  • Accepted papers will automatically be made available to meeting attendees in the online program. If you prefer not to share the full paper in the online program, we will provide instructions on how to upload a research summary in its place. More information about research summaries will be provided after acceptance.
  • Your paper should demonstrate a clear connection to, and application for, transportation in some way. Please note, TRB is unable to pre-screen submissions for any reason before the August 1st deadline. 
  • If you are using Large Language Models (LLMs) or Generative AI for your paper, read the Policy on Artificial Intelligence and refer to the guidelines below on use.

Submission Formatting Requirements
View Sample Paper (Word Docx)

  • Manuscript Length: The length of each paper, including the abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, and tables, must not exceed 7,500 words. Each table counts as 250 words. Papers not meeting this requirement may be withdrawn from the peer review process at any time. Abstract (250 words max). 
  • File Format: PDF
  • The title should have the first letter of each word capitalized, except for conjunctions, prepositions, and articles
  • Include a title page with title, authors, affiliations, and word count
  • Submissions must be written in English in a manner that is clear and understandable to reviewers
  • Include all coauthor names, affiliations, and email addresses
  • ORCiD numbers are optional, but strongly encouraged
  • Tables and figures should be embedded in the text, near the text that discusses the item
  • 8.5x11 page with normal margins
  • Font: Times Roman font, 10 pt size or larger 
  • Single spaced
  • Single column
  • Line numbers are required (restart numbering on each page)
  • Page numbers are required
  • References should be numbered and called out in numerical order in the text
  • Supplemental Material/Appendices are not permitted in TRB Annual Meeting papers.

Criteria for Desk Rejection
TRB will not consider papers with the following attributes:

  • In excess of 7500 words, excluding figures
  • Figures and Tables not embedded in text
  • Missing coauthors in the submission system
  • Tables and text converted to figures to circumvent the word count
  • Multiple tables combined into one to circumvent the word count
  • Papers divided into parts to circumvent the word count
  • Submissions that are not written in English in a manner that is clear and understandable to reviewers
  • Inappropriate or offensive language
  • Endorsement or promotion of a commercial product 
  • Unclear or confusing paper organization
  • Papers that do not demonstrate a clear connection to, and application for, transportation

Submission Types
The annual meeting submission site offers two different submission options:

  • Presentation - If you select “Presentation,” your paper will be reviewed solely for presentation at the annual meeting, and you will receive an “accept” or “reject” decision. 
  • Presentation and Publication – If you select Presentation and Publication, your paper will be reviewed for presentation at the annual meeting, and you will receive an “accept” or “reject” decision. However, the review process will also generate a separate recommendation on if the paper should be reviewed for publication by the TRR Editorial Board. 

If your paper is recommended for TRR publication review, the paper record will be transferred to the TRR submission site. You will then receive instructions on how to submit your revised paper, which should contain your responses to the annual meeting reviewer comments. Then, the revised paper will be assigned to an available editor on the TRR editorial board. The TRR will make an independent publication decision on its own review timeline, which is separate from the annual meeting, and will require additional round(s) of review. Because reviews for the annual meeting are sometimes not rigorous enough for journal publication decisions, the assigned editor may invite new reviewers, in addition to or instead of inviting the original reviewers from the annual meeting. Some annual meeting reviewers do not provide their identity to TRR, thus prohibiting a review invitation. The TRR publication decision may or may not match the decision for presentation due to the different requirements of each reviewing body.

Fragmented or Redundant Publication
The TRB Annual Meeting does not have any limits on the number of submissions that can be submitted or published by an author. However, the following bullet points outline situations where TRB may choose to desk reject a paper if the research does not make a substantial contribution on its own or otherwise seems to be broken into pieces or redundant.

  • Breaking a single piece of work into many papers that are derived from the same or similar hypothesis dilutes the information and makes it difficult for reviewers and readers to assess the advances that may have been made. 
  • TRB may desk reject papers with similar hypotheses, methodologies, or results; papers that are redundant in that there is significant overlap; and papers with limited practical application or appeal. 
  • Papers submitted for review should stand on their own; papers submitted as Part I, Part II, etc., will not be accepted for review. 
  • TRB follows guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics. Please refer to the following case study on “Salami Publication.”

Go to the TRBAM Editorial Manager site to start a submission.

Policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
During the submission process, authors will be required to declare if they used any AI tools to help produce the paper. Uses of AI continue to evolve, and we require that all uses be declared. If generative AI was used, it is the author’s obligation to declare exactly how it was used and to confirm that the output is factually accurate. Moreover, authors must vouch that the content is free from potential bias that could be introduced by the AI and does not mistakenly contain plagiarized content, which are common risks of generative AI outputs. Other uses of AI that need to be declared are for AI tools used to enhance or improve the language used in the paper. All authors are responsible for the content in their submission and AI cannot be listed as an author of a paper. TRB reserves the right to reject any paper that may have used AI in an unethical manner.  

This guidance on AI is loosely based on guidance from Sage Publications. TRB also follows guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics. All Papers shall be free of fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism as defined by the US Office of Research Integrity.  

Usage of Large Language Models/Generative AI in Papers
Authors: If you are considering using a large language model [(LLM), e.g. ChatGPT] or Generative AI to help prepare your manuscript for submission to TRBAM or TRR, you must comply with the following statement from COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics):

Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and Methods (or similar section) of the paper how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.

Specifically, authors are required to: 

  1. Clearly indicate the use of language models in the manuscript, including which model was used and for what purpose. Please use the methods or acknowledgements section, as appropriate. 
  2. Verify the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of the content and any citations generated by language models and correct any errors or inconsistencies. 
  3. Provide a list of sources used to generate content and citations, including those generated by language models. Double-check citations to ensure they are accurate and properly referenced. 
  4. Be conscious of the potential for plagiarism where the LLM may have reproduced substantial text from other sources. Check the original sources to be sure you are not plagiarizing someone else’s work. 
  5. Acknowledge the limitations of language models in the manuscript, including the potential for bias, errors, and gaps in knowledge.

Please note that AI bots such as ChatGPT should not be listed as an author on your submission.

Reference Guidelines
The reference list should contain only references that are cited in the text, numbered in the order in which they are first cited. Summaries that do not conform to a standard reference style may be rejected.

  • Do not denote text references with superscripts.
  • Do not include in the reference list personal communications or similar material that would not be available to readers. Instead, cite the unpublished work in the text and enclose the author’s name along with the term “personal communication” in parentheses.
  • You may use the following content guidelines and samples in preparing reference lists:
    • TRR Journal Articles: Note: Do not add “In” before the journal title; do not include the publisher or place of publication. Dewan, S. A., and R. E. Smith. Creating Asset Management Reports from a Local Agency Pavement Management System. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2018. Volume: doi or page range.
    • TRB Presentation Papers: Ghiasi, A., J. Ma, F. Zhou, and X. Li. Speed Harmonization Algorithm using Connected Autonomous Vehicles. Presented at 96th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2017

Please check references citing papers presented at the Annual Meeting to see whether or not the paper was subsequently published in the Transportation Research Record (TRR). If the paper was published in the TRR, the reference should be changed to the corresponding TRR citation.

  • Other Journals: Dawley, C. B., B. L. Hogenwiede, and K. O. Anderson. Mitigation of Instability Rutting of Asphalt Concrete Pavements in Canada. Journal of Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, 2018. 59: 481–508. Sansalone, M., J. M. Lin, and W. B. Streett. Determining the Depths of Surface-Opening Cracks Using Impact-Generated Stress Waves and Time-of-Flight Techniques.  ACI Materials Journal, 2018. 95: 168–177.
  • TRB Publications: Morcous, G., K. Wang, P. C. Taylor, and S. P. Shah. NCHRP Report 819: Self-Consolidating Concrete for Cast-in-Place Bridge Components. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/23626. 
  • Book: Newland, D. E. Random Vibrations: Spectral and Wavelet Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1998.
  • Chapter in a Book: Shunk, G.A. Urban Transportation Systems. In Transportation Planning Handbook (J. D. Edwards, Jr., ed.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1992, pp. 88–122. 
  • Government Report: Von Quintus, H. L., and A. L. Simpson. Documentation of the Back calculation of Layer Parameters for LTPP Test Sections. Publication FHWA-RD-01-113. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002. 
  • Websites: References to websites should include corporate or personal authors, title of document, date of document (if available), web address (complete URL), and date accessed by the author. State and Local Policy Program. Value Pricing. Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/slp/vp/vp_org.Accessed Feb. 5, 2008. Guide to Developing Performance-Related Specifications.FHWA-RD-98-155, FHWA- RD-98- 156, FHWA-RD-98-171,Vol. III, Appendix C. www.tfhrc.gov/pavement/pccp/pavespec.Accessed March 5, 2003.
  • Unpublished papers: References to unpublished papers presented at meetings should include name(s) of author(s); title of paper; and title, sponsor(s), location, and dates or year of meeting. Corbett, J. J. Toward Environmental Stewardship: Charting the Course for Marine Transportation. Presented at 83rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2018.

 

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