RAC-CUTC Liaison Group

Issues Related tothe Preparation and Delivery of

Research Reports to State DOT Research Organizations

Shashi NambisanLeni OmanSteve Pepin

Martin Pietrucha

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Principle Issue

• Quality of research reports does not meet expectations• Not limited to specific PIs or

institutions, but broadly distributed

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Examples• Errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar• Failure to establish basic formatting or adhere to specific formatting

DOT requirements• Failure to meet deadlines• Failure to provide a comprehensive, well-organized final report, as

opposed to merely assembling task-related technical memoranda or other interim deliverables

• Failure to properly attribute trademarked products or other protected intellectual property, or to acquire and document permission to use or adapt previously published material

• Failure to base research results and recommendations based on data and analysis, rather than subjective judgment

• Failure to clearly communicate the research methodology, analysis, or results, giving the appearance of inconsistency and subjectivity

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Possible Causes• Authors may not be native English speakers• Limited experience in report preparation• Not be familiar with copyright law in the United States and the

limitations on use of protected material• PIs may believe that it is not necessary to spend time on the

style and format of a “draft” report as the sponsoring organization may require substantial changes in the manuscript.

• DOT-sponsored research not considered “peer (i.e., academic peer) reviewed”

• PI attitudes concerning contractual requirements– Assumption the contract can be easily extended– Deadline refers to the date by which the research, rather

than the report, must be completed– Due dates for interim milestones are not enforced

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Study Objectives

• Understand the state of the practice• Form realistic expectations• Develop solutions to the

problems identified

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Next Steps• Survey state DOT research organizations to:– Document concerns– Identify existing practices– Collect guidelines for the preparation of research

reports • Survey universities, consulting firms, and other

organizations to:– Document concerns from the researchers’

perspectives– Identify existing practices– Collect guidelines for the preparation of research

reports • Develop recommendations for appropriate roles and

expectations

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https://www.transportationresearch.gov/rppm/

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