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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Quick Reference Guide To:
Guidelines for Preparing FHWA Publications (G)
and the GPO Style Manual, 1984 Edition (GPO)

Submission Of Reports For Editorial Review

Submit entire technically reviewed report, including 1700.7, all front matter, and any graphics.
Supply hard-copy version.
Provide electronic file (both text and graphics):

File should be created in (6.0 or later). Graphics should be created as separate elements and imported into the text file. All fonts in the document must be supplied on the disk so that the document will print as it appeared on the contractor’s equipment. The use of 1 of the standard 35 fonts that are provided with most printers is recommended.

Files must be included in the programs of origin, such as PowerPoint, Word, etc., so these files can be modified or corrected and re-imported into the full-text file. Art must be produced in a program that can export an interchange file format that can be imported into the full text. Photos must be in TIF or EPS, with on-screen preview and line screen appropriate for printing.

HTML-coded files should be coded to an HTML (2.0 or above) standard. Any internal links should be relative, not absolute addresses. Graphics should be either a .gif or a .jpeg file. Graphic file size should be limited to 30 kb per graphic. All underlining should be replaced with bolded lettering.

Type Arrangement and Typefaces

Type reports using single or 1.5 line spacing. Double or triple space between paragraphs. (G, p. 5-31)

Single-spacing is preferred if superscript and subscript do not touch the next line of type. However, do not use single spacing unless small superscript type is possible on the chosen word processing program such as that used in this example.⁽¹⁾

Margins must be at least 25 mm (1 in) on all sides, including on pages with figures and tables.

Right-hand margins should not be justified. Use hyphenation to achieve a smooth right margin. Type with ragged margins is easier to read and correct.

Dot matrix print is not acceptable for reproduction; use a laser or letter-quality printer. Ensure that words are correctly divided, mathematical symbols or formulas are not divided between lines, and spacing is not excessive or erratic.

Widows and orphans -- Avoid leaving a single line of text at the top or bottom of a page.

Type styles in the text must match those in the front matter for all headings and subheadings. This includes font, capitalization, punctuation, bolding, italics, and other attributes. See page 5-28 of Guidelines for Preparing FHWA Publications for preferred headings styles.

Volume Format

paragraphs. between space triple double spacing. line 1.5 or single using reports size"2"type>"Volume" designates an individually bound book. When a report exceeds 400 pages of reproduction copy (including figures, tables, appendixes, and front matter), it should be divided into two or more volumes, each to be designated by a separate publication number (G, p. 5-37) and by a Roman numeral (Vol. I, Vol. II, etc.) as part of the subtitle. (G, p. 5-38) It should also be listed on the Technical Report Documentation Page (form DOT F 1700.7) in the manner shown here in this Quick Reference Guide (QRG).

Tables of contents, lists of figures, and lists of tables in multi-volume reports should cover in each volume the contents of all volumes. If previous volumes have already been published, later volumes should follow the same practice of a comprehensive listing, including page numbers. See pages 5-37 and 5-38 of Guidelines for Preparing FHWA Publications for rules on multi-volume reports, and here in this QRG for a sample table of contents.

References

FHWA Style -- Reference numbers should be superscript numbers enclosed in parentheses or brackets. Place them after end punctuation. If there is more than one reference, separate them with commas, but no spaces. Example: Xxxxxxxx.^(2,3,9) For more than three reference numbers, use a separate sentence in parentheses. (See references 1, 5, 7, and 18.)
The above style is the FHWA standard; however, any style will be accepted as long as it is consistent and all reference elements are included (authors, title, publication number, publisher's name and city, publication date). If the editors determine that the style used is too inconsistent, FHWA's standard style will be enforced.

Use a single series of Arabic numbers beginning with 1 and continuing through the appendix.

Each reference must be cited. Materials not cited may be listed in a bibliography placed at the end of the volume on the page(s) following the references.

References must be consistent in punctuation and in the order of elements. Here is a sample, which illustrates R&D preferences. It is more important to be consistent than to follow this exact format.

Pagination

Front matter -- Use lower case Roman numerals such as ii, iii, etc. (G, p. 5-36)

The Technical Report Documentation Page (form DOT F 1700.7) is always unnumbered page i. (G, p. 5-37) (See sample form in this QRG.)

Include front matter in the page count in block 21 of the form 1700.7.

Use only one series of Arabic numbers from the first page of the report to the last. Do not number appendix pages A-l, B-l, etc. (G, p. 5-36)

Decimal numbers, hyphenated numbers, or numbers combined with letters for chapters, sections, or subsections are not permitted. Minimize the use of paragraph and subparagraph numbers. (DOT-TST-75-97, p. 11)

Page numbers should be centered 12.7 mm (0.5 in) up from the bottom edge of the page and should stand alone with no dash on either side of the number. (G, p. 5-36)

Blank pages -- Chapters or main sections must begin on the right-hand page. Blank pages may be used to achieve this. Blank pages are counted in the page number sequence, but no number is printed on the page. (G, p. 5-37)

Title pages for individual chapters, appendixes, etc., may not be used.

Table of Contents

A table of contents is useful in most reports of more than 10 pages and is required in all reports of 30 or more pages. (G, p. 5-20)

Do not list front matter. List only the body of the text from page 1 through appendixes. (G, p. 5-20)

Type styles in the table of contents must match those used in the report. Each level of subordination must consistently use a particular type treatment, such as all capitals, bold, etc. Wording and punctuation must also be exactly the same in the table as in the text. (See the sample table of contents in this QRG.)

Figures and Tables

The following caption shows FHWA's standard style for figure and table captions. Use it as a guide (however, any style will be accepted as long as it is consistent):
Figure 1. This is the correct form for punctuating, capitalizing,
and centering figure and table captions.

Every figure must have a unique caption centered at the bottom. (G, p. 5-34)

Every table must have a unique caption centered at the top. (G, p. 5-34)

All captions must be in the same type style and size.

All figures must be numbered in a single sequence from the beginning of the volume through the appendixes.

All tables must be numbered in a single sequence from the beginning of the volume through the appendixes.

All illustrations and tabular materials must be numbered and captioned as figures or tables. Place each near its first callout. (G, p. 5-34)

Lists of figures and tables are required in reports of 30 pages or more containing any figures or tables. (G, p. 5-25)

Entries in the lists of figures and tables must match the captions exactly in terms of capitalization, punctuation, and type style.

Put the lists of figures and tables on the same page if both fit completely. (G, p. 5-25)

Lists

Lists should be bulleted unless the sequence of items is critical, in which case numerals followed by periods may be substituted for bullets. In either case:

Use a colon at the end of the preceding text sentence.
Use parallel rhetorical and grammatical structure, as in this list, in which each entry begins with a verb.
Begin each entry with a capital letter.
End each entry with a period.

Numbers

Numbers from one through nine are spelled out. Use numerals for numbers 10 and above. However, if a number 10 or above is in the same sentence with a lower number, use numerals for all. (GPO, p. 165, rule 10.5)

Units of money, measurement, and time (actual or implied) are expressed in numerals. These do not affect, and are unaffected by other numbers in a sentence. (See GPO, pp. 166 through 168, rule 12.9.)

Abbreviations

Use GPO abbreviations for units of measurement. Abbreviations used for units of measurement are the same for both singular and plural. (GPO, p. 146, rule 9.61) Examples of some commonly used units follow (see GPO, chapter 9, for a more complete list):

mi for mile(s)
mi² for square mile(s)
mi/h for miles per hour (not mph)
km/h for kilometers per hour
in for inch(es)
in³ for cubic inch(es)
m for meter(s)
ft for foot (feet)
ft³ for cubic foot (feet)
lb for pound(s)
lbf/in² (not psi)
in² for square inch(es)
ft/s for square foot (feet) per second
s for second(s)

Do not use periods after these abbreviations.
"Percent" should be spelled out in the text. The symbol "%" may be used in figures and tables. (GPO, p. 155)

Footnotes

Use superscript figures without parentheses or brackets for footnote references. (GPO, p. 201)

Text footnotes begin with 1 in each chapter. (GPO, p. 201, rule 152)

Footnotes must begin on the page carrying the footnote number. Avoid breaking a footnote between pages. (GPO, p. 201, rule 15.10)

Footnotes should be single spaced. Indent the first line four spaces.

Footnotes to tables or figures begin with 1 for each table or figure. Use superscript numbers. (GPO, p. 183, rule 13.76)

Asterisks may be used only when a numeral in a table or figure might cause confusion, such as being mistaken for an exponent. (GPO, p. 183, rule 13.78)

Punctuation

Use a hyphen between the elements of compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine (when they must be spell out) and in compound adjectives with a numerical first element. (GPO, p. 78, rule 6.36, and p. 166, rule 12.9) For example:

24-in ruler
8- by 12-in page
3-m-wide screen
four-lane highway
3-to-1 ratio
1/2-in-diameter pipe

In questions of hyphenation and compounding, follow GPO preferences listed on pages 82 through 116.

When parentheses or brackets are used to enclose an independent sentence, the period falls inside. (See reference 1.) If the enclosed matter is part of a sentence, the period falls outside (when the enclosed matter completes the sense of the sentence).

Periods and commas should be placed inside quotation marks; semicolons fall outside quotation marks.

Use a comma after each member within a series of three or more words, phrases, letters, or figures used with "and," "or," or "nor." (GPO, p. 122, rule 8.43)

Use semicolons to separate groups of items only when commas are already used within each group. For example, "He checked the streets, highways, and lanes; the subways, bus routes, and airlines; and the theaters, museums, and art galleries." In other instances in which intervening commas are used and confusion may result, use semicolons to separate elements containing commas. (GPO, p. 133)

General

Common nouns such as table 1, chapter 2, sample A, reference 4, appendix A, etc., should not be capitalized within the text. (GPO, p. 24, rule 3.9)

Metrication -- All measurements in the text must be expressed in SI (metric) units. FHWA is now using SI only, but SI units followed immediately by English units in parentheses were used during a transition period, e.g., 25 mm (1 in). Check your contract to verify which is required.

Contractor's name(s) may not appear in the report except in block 9 of the Technical Report Documentation Page (form DOT F 1700.7). (G, p. 5-8) Logos may not appear at all. Authors are considered contractors.

The word "State" should be capitalized when referring to a geographic or governmental entity. (GPO, p. 26, rule 3.19)

The words "Federal" and "Government" are capitalized, whether they appear together or alone, when referring to the Federal Government. The word "Nation" is capitalized when used as a synonym for the United States. (GPO, p. 26, rule 3.19)

Acronyms -- Establish each acronym by spelling out the term the first time it is used followed by the acronym in parentheses, such as Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In addition, if the report has many acronyms, a list of abbreviations may be included after the list of tables.

Equations -- Number equations with a single series of Arabic numerals through the appendixes. Enclose each number in parentheses at the right margin on the last line of the equation. (DOT-TST-75-97, p. 17) For example:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (1)

Corrections should be made on a word processor, if possible, or with correction tape. Do not use correction fluids.

The prefixes and suffixes listed below generally do not require a hyphen when joined with other words:

multi
super
pre
micro
under
re
like
semi
post

However, use a hyphen with the following in all cases in which they are used as reflexive prefixes: ex-, self-, and quasi-.

Keep numbers and units of measurement or words that depend on each other for meaning together on the same line of type. (For example: chapter 5, 25 mm,
31 percent.)

Acknowledgments -- Paid consultants are not acknowledged. (See page 5-7 of Guidelines for Preparing FHWA Publications for more detail.)

Standard Proofreading Marks Used in Editorial Reviews
(See GPO, p. 5 for a more complete list.)

Technical Summaries
Technical summaries should be from two to four pages long and may include figures, tables, and photographs. Typical summaries present background or introductory information, the purpose of the study, a general discussion of the study, and major findings or conclusions. (Please refer to the sample technical summary in this QRG.)
HRD-10 does the layout for technical summaries. Submit the text to HRD-10 for layout via E-mail in the latest version of Word. Provide art to be used. Include the following elements:

Title -- This is usually identical to the title of the report.

Publication No. -- This matches the one on the report.

Contracting Officer's Technical Representative's name, routing code, and telephone number.

Category -- Choose one of the following categories: Highway Safety, Traffic Operations, Pavements, Structures, Materials and Operations, Planning and Policy, Motor Carrier Transportation, or LTPP.

The backmatter of the technical summary has five items. HRD-10 will complete the standard ones. Please provide the following items that are unique to each study:

Researcher -- Include the company or agency name, address, and telephone number, and the contract number (an FHWA staff study would have no contract number).

Key Words -- List about five words or terms. These can be taken from block 17 of the Technical Report Documentation Page, which is page i of the report.

Order of Elements for R&D Reports
(Not all elements are necessarily used in all reports)

Front Matter Front Cover
Inside Front Cover (R&D Foreword and Disclaimer Notice)¹

Page i Technical Report Documentation Page
(Form DOT F 1700.7) (Counted as page i, but always unnumbered)
(Preface, if any)

ii Metric Conversion Chart
(Preprinted version available from FHWA)

iii List of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations and Symbols

Body of Report 1 Introduction
Main Text
Conclusions
Recommendations

Reference Material
(Continue with consecutive pagination, do not use A-1, etc.)
Appendixes
Glossary
References
Bibliography
Index
Cover 3 (blank)
Cover 4 (blank)

¹ Use the statement shown on the inside front cover of this QRG in all R&D reports. (It differs slightly from the versions shown in Guidelines for Preparing FHWA Publications.)

Technical Report Documentation Page
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Model Report
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Avoiding the 10 Most Unwanted Errors
1. COTR shall provide the entire technically reviewed report, including 1700.7, all front matter, and any graphics.
2. All measurements in the text must be expressed in SI (metric) units. FHWA is now using SI only, but SI units followed immediately by English units in parentheses were used during a transition period, e.g., 25 mm (1 in). Check your contract to verify which is required.
3. Unit modifiers are hyphenated: a 2-day seminar, however, the seminar lasted for 2 days.
4. Names of FHWA contractors may not be used in the reports. Manufacturers and product names are used only when it is necessary to the object of the report.
5. Establish each acronym by spelling out the term the first time it is used followed by the abbreviation in parentheses: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
6. Reference numbers are placed after final punctuation.⁽¹⁾ References must be consistent in punctuation and in the order of elements (such as author, title, publisher, date). Place references at the end of the volume, after the last appendix.
7. Use only one series of Arabic numbers each for figures, tables, equations, and references. Continue the numbering through the appendixes.
8. Figures must have unique captions centered below the figure, tables must have unique captions centered above the table:
Figure 1. This is the correct form for
figure and table captions.
9. Listings in the front matter (table of contents, list of figures, and list of tables) must match the text exactly in terms of wording, capitalization, punctuation, and type style.
10. Margins must be at least 25 mm (1 in) on all sides, including on pages with figures and tables. Right-hand margins should not be justified. Use hyphenation to achieve a nearly smooth right margin.
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