TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART A: POLICY AND PRACTICE
An International Journal
Guide for Authors
Submission of articles
General
Submission to this journal proceeds totally online. Use the following guidelines
to prepare your article. Via the homepage of this journal
(http://ees.elsevier.com/tra) you will be guided stepwise through
the creation and uploading of the various files. The system automatically converts source files to a single Adobe Acrobat PDF version
of the article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF at
submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further processing after acceptance. All correspondence, including
notification of the Editor?s decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail and via the author?s homepage, removing the need
for a hard-copy paper trail.
It is essential to give a fax number and e-mail address when submitting a manuscript. Articles must
be written in good English.
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to sign a ?Journal Publishing Agreement? (for more
information on this and copyright see http://www.elsevier.com/copyright). Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest
possible dissemination of information. An e-mail (or letter) will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript
together with a `Journal Publishing Agreement? form or a link to the online version of this agreement.
If excerpts from other copyrighted
works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier
has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: contact ES Global Rights Department, P.O. Box 800, Oxford, OX5 1DX, UK; phone:
(+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier.com
We accept most wordprocessing formats,
but Word, WordPerfect or LaTeX is preferred. Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Save your files
using the default extension of the program used.
Preparation of text
Presentation of manuscript
Please write
your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Italics are not to be used for expressions
of Latin origin, for example, in vivo, et al., per se. Use decimal points (not commas); use a space for thousands (10 000 and above).
Authors in Japan kindly note that, upon request, Elsevier Japan will provide a list of people who can check and improve the English
of an article before submission. Contact our Tokyo office: Elsevier K.K., Editorial Service, 1-9-15 Higashi Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
106-0044, Japan; tel.: +81-3-5561-5032; fax: +81-3-5561-5045; e-mail: info@elsevier.co.jp
Use double spacing and
wide (3cm) margins. (Avoid full justification, i.e., do not use a constant right-hand margin.) Ensure that each new paragraph is clearly
indicated. Present tables and figure legends on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. If possible, consult a recent issue of the
journal to become familiar with layout and conventions. Number all pages consecutively.
Provide the following data on the title
page (in the order given).
Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid
abbreviations and formulae where possible.
Author names and affiliations. Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g.,
a double name), please indicate this clearly. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names.
Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address.
Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name, and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.
Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who is willing to handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication,
also post-publication. Ensure that telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address
and the complete postal address.
Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article
was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name.
The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals
are used for such footnotes.
Abstract. A concise and factual abstract is required (maximum length 200 words). The abstract
should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separate
from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. References should therefore be avoided, but if essential, they must be cited in
full, without reference to the reference list.
Keywords. Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 6 keywords,
avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations
firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.
N.B. Acknowledgements.
Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article and do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a
footnote to the title or otherwise.
Arrangement of the article
Subdivision of the article. Divide your article
into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included
in section numbering). Use this numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text.' Any subsection may be
given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line.
Introduction. State the objectives of the work
and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.
Figure legends, tables,
figures, schemes. Present these, in this order, at the end of the article. They are described in more detail below. If you are working
with LaTeX and have such features embedded in the text, these can be left, but such embedding should not be done specifically for publishing
purposes. Further, high-resolution graphics files must be provided separately (see Preparation of illustrations).
Appendices.
If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate
numbering: (Eq. A.1), (Eq. A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix, (Eq. B.1) and so forth.
Acknowledgements. Place acknowledgements,
including information on grants received, before the references, in a separate section, and not as a footnote on the title page.
References.
See separate section, below.
Units. Authors are seriously recommended to use SI (metric) units in their manuscripts, with
optional English equivalents in parentheses.
Mathematical formulae.
Present simple formulae in the line of normal text where
possible. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line,
e.g.,
Xp/Ym
Powers of e are often more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separate
from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text).
Footnotes. Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively
throughout the article, using superscript Arabic numbers. Many wordprocessors build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be
used. Should this not be the case, indicate the position of footnotes in the text and present the footnotes themselves on a separate
sheet at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.
Table footnotes. Indicate each footnote
in a table with a superscript lowercase letter.
Tables. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance
in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical rules.
Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.
References
Responsibility for the accuracy of bibliographic citations lies entirely with the authors.
Citations
in the text: Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references
cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications should not be in the reference list, but
may be mentioned in the text. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.
Citing
and listing of web references. As a minimum, the full URL should be given. Any further information, if known (author names, dates,
reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list)
under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.
Text: All citations in the text should
refer to:
1. Single author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication;
2. Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication;
3. Three or more authors: first author's name
followed by 'et al.' and the year of publication.
Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references should
be listed first alphabetically, then chronologically.
Examples: "as demonstrated (Allan, 1996a, 1996b, 1999; Allan and Jones, 1995).
Kramer et al. (2000) have recently shown ...."
List: References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted
chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a",
"b", "c", etc., placed after the year of publication.
Examples:
Journal:
Kanafani, A. and Abas, M.S. (1987) Local
air service and economic impact of small airports. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 113, 42-55.
Books:
Button, K.J. (1982) Transport Economics. Heineman, London.
Article in book:
Nash, C.A. (1988) Integration
of public transport: an economic assessment.Bus Deregulation and Privatization: An International Perspective eds J.S. Dodgson
and N.P. Topham, pp. 17-46. Wiley, New York.
Proceedings:
Grant, R.A. (1989) Building and testing a casual model and
information technology's impact. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Information Systems, Boston, MA, pp. 173-184.
Thesis:
Cardell, N.S. (1989) Extensions of multinational logit model and the ranked logit model. Ph.D. Thesis, Harvard
University, USA.
Report
American Trucking Association (1987) Motor Carrier Annual Report. Alexandria, VA.
The
digital object identifier (DOI) may be used to cite and link to electronic documents. The DOI consists of a unique alpha-numeric character
string which is assigned to a document by the publisher upon the initial electronic publication. The assigned DOI never changes. Therefore,
it is an ideal medium for citing a document, particularly `Articles in press? because they have not yet received their full bibliographic
information. The correct format for citing a DOI is shown as follows (example taken from a document in the journal Transportation Part
B):
doi: 10.1016/j.trb.2005.02.001
When you use the DOI to create URL hyperlinks to documents on the web, they are guaranteed never
to change.
Authors should consult a copy of Transportation Research for details.
Preparation of illustrations
General points
•Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork. • Save text in
illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font. •Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica,
Times, Symbol. •Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text. •Use a logical naming convention
for your artwork files, and supply a separate listing of the files and the software used. •Provide all illustrations as separate
files. •Provide captions to illustrations separately. •Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.
Formats
Regardless
of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats
(Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below.):
EPS: Vector drawings.
Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or greyscale): a minimum
of 500 dpi is required.
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications please
supply "as is".
Please do not: •Supply files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the
resolution is too low; •Supply files that are too low in resolution; •Submit graphics that are disproportionately large
for the content.
Captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions on a separate sheet, not attached
to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in
the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.
Colour illustrations
Please
make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together
with your accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will
appear in colour on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in
colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after
receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for colour in print or on the Web only. For further information on
the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.
Please note: Because
of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to ?grey scale? (for the printed version should you not opt for
colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white versions of all the colour illustrations.
Please make sure that
artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted
article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour
on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) in addition to colour reproduction in print. For further information on the preparation
of electronic artwork, please see http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.
Preparation of supplementary data
Preparation of supplementary data. Elsevier accepts supplementary material to support and enhance your scientific research.
Supplementary files offer the author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution
images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version
of your article in Elsevier Web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com . In order to ensure that
your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should
submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file. For more
detailed instructions please visit our artwork instruction pages at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.
Proofs
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author (if we do not have an e-mail address then
paper proofs will be sent by post). Elsevier now sends PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download Adobe Reader
version 7 available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions on how to annotate PDF
files will accompany the proofs. The exact system requirements are given at the Adobe site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrsystemreqs.html#70win.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return
to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections
and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail,
or by post.
Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures.
Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor.
We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of
your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections
cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that Elsevier may proceed with the publication of your article
if no response is received.
Electronic offprints (e-offprints)
The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided
with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published
article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use.
Enquiries
Authors can track accepted articles (http://www.elsevier.com/trackarticle) and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of
when an article?s status has changed, as well as copyright information, frequently asked questions and more.
Contact details for
questions arising after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided after registration of an article
for publication.
