TRB_LaTeX_tex

An unofficial LaTeX template for preparing papers for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. This release is rebuilt for the requirements introduced for the 2027 Annual Meeting submission process.

This template is unofficial and may not fully match current TRB rules. Always confirm against TRB's Instructions for Authors before submitting. Noncompliant papers may be rejected.

What changed for the 2027 Annual Meeting

• Length is now measured by page count (maximum 20 pages), not word count. The title page prints an automatic total page count.
• A structured abstract is required (Objectives, Methods, Findings, Novelty, Practical Applications), under 300 words.
• References must use a standard citation style (Chicago author–date).
• All authors must be identified on the title page (and in the submission portal).
• Authors must disclose any use of AI/LLMs in the Acknowledgments.

The template reflects all of these.

Files

File	Purpose
trbunofficial.cls	The document class. Self-contained: layout, headings, captions, title page, and the Chicago author–date bibliography configuration.
trb_template.tex	Example manuscript — copy this and edit.
trb_template.bib	Example bibliography database (BibTeX/biblatex format).
trb_template-gumbel.pdf	Example figure used by the sample.
latexmkrc	Sets the timezone so the submission date matches TRB's clock.

Building

The template uses pdfLaTeX — the mainstream engine, and the default on Overleaf. On Overleaf, just set the compiler to pdfLaTeX (Menu → Compiler); no other configuration is needed.

Locally, use latexmk, which runs the required pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex sequence for you:

latexmk -pdf trb_template.tex

(The template also compiles with tectonic if you prefer.)

The submission date on the title page auto-populates from the build date, advanced to the last time zone on earth so it never runs ahead of TRB's clock. latexmkrc sets the required time zone (also honored by Overleaf).

References (Chicago author–date)

Bibliography formatting uses biblatex (modern) with a Chicago author–date configuration built into trbunofficial.cls. No .bst file is needed. Declare your database in the preamble and print the list where you want it:

\addbibresource{trb_template.bib}   % in the preamble
...
\printbibliography[heading=trb]     % where the references should appear

Cite with either the biblatex commands or the familiar natbib ones:

• \parencite{key} → (Author 2020)  •  \parencite[45--78]{key} → (Author 2020, 45–78)
• \textcite{key} → Author (2020)
• \citep{key} / \citet{key} also work.

References are sorted alphabetically by first author. Journal names are roman, book titles italic, article/paper titles are quoted, and DOIs are shown as links.

biblatex uses backend=bibtex so no external biber binary is required. On a biber-capable system you may switch to backend=biber (edit the \RequirePackage[...]{biblatex} line in the class) for better sorting and name disambiguation.

Line numbers

Line numbering is required for review copies and is enabled by the numbered class option:

\documentclass[numbered]{trbunofficial}

Blank lines on the title page and between structured-abstract parts are numbered, matching the TRB sample. The reference list is not line-numbered (the example calls \nolinenumbers before \printbibliography).

Overleaf

This template is also available on Overleaf: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/unofficial-transportation-research-board-trb-latex-template/jkfndnnkkksw