WTRC member states have documented all aspects of their research programs — from templates for progress reports to guidance and templates for the final reports most researchers are required to deliver. These publications help research program staff solicit more standardized deliverables from research teams and ensure that project progress is adequately documented. These publications also spread the word using technical transfer communication products that heighten awareness of the important, often innovative research agencies conduct and how findings from this research are being implemented to meet agency goals.
The archive of members’ publications accessible through this webpage is organized into 17 categories:
- Evaluation
- Experimental Features Program
- Final Report
- Guidance for Research Participants
- Implementation
- Innovation
- Progress Report
- Project Management
- Research Brief
- Research Idea
- Research Manual
- Research Need or Problem Statement
- Research Process
- Research Program Outreach
- Research Proposal
- Section 508
- Transportation Pooled Fund Program
Each of these publication categories is presented individually on this webpage in a tabular format that supports sorting (for more lengthy tables), provides a link to each publication and briefly describes it. In many cases, a publication is sourced directly from a member state’s website. Other publications that are not publicly available are made available to WTRC members through this database webpage.
The following legend relates, sometimes only in part, to the tables that follow on this webpage:
Legend
- Document link: Link to a publication hosted by a WTRC member website.
- Website link: Link to a WTRC website where the content appears.
- Hosted file: For documents not publicly available on WTRC member websites; link to a publication hosted by WTRC database.
* For documents available on WTRC member websites lacking an obvious publication date, the date was retrieved from document properties (PDF) or file info (Word) as the last modified date.
** For documents not available on WTRC member websites lacking an obvious publication date, the date was retrieved from document properties (PDF), file info (Word) as the last modified date or is noted as Undated.
Evaluation
Documents in this category offer examples of how to evaluate principal investigator performance, including a multifaceted effort that allows key players in the research process — project manager, principal investigator and project champion — to evaluate one another.
Experimental Features Program
Only Alaska has documented guidance on work plan development for researchers participating in Federal Highway Administration’s Experimental Features Program.
Final Report
The publications and resources in this category represent almost 20% of the full publication archive. Member states’ final report templates are often accompanied by guidance for use of the template. Specific elements of a final report may be presented individually or compiled into a single comprehensive document that provides formatting guidance, sample text and tables, and other elements of a final report’s front and back matter.
Guidance for Research Participants
Offering guidance for the development of the most typical project deliverable — a final report — is just one aspect of the support member states offer to the research teams and agency staff participating in the research process. In this category, guidance for research participants addresses roles and responsibilities, research project administration and timelines, and the oversight or governing bodies that play a critical role in determining the projects undertaken by a member state’s research program.
Implementation
The publications in this category allow member states to track the progress of an implementation effort. One member state initiates review of a proposed implementation plan as a project kicks off, continuing the review as the project progresses, concludes and moves into the implementation phase. Further guidance is offered in an implementation workflow that helps project champions ensure research results are successfully implemented.
Innovation
The publications below gather information to permit a pilot test of an innovation currently in use by another agency or ask the submitter to describe an innovative change expected to address current challenges.
Progress Report
Many member states require a periodic progress report from the research teams conducting agency-funded research. The templates below provide guidance for the proper completion of these reports, which may be required monthly, quarterly or annually.
Project Management
The project management publications below cover a wide range of topics, from identifying research process policies, tasks and timelines to describing how to request project modifications. A series of forms provided for Texas’ research teams are used to make specific requests during the research cycle — budget changes, request for agency assistance, and approvals for equipment, out-of-state travel and the appointment of an external research project advisor.
Research Brief
The three member states below offer a template for research teams or others to develop a two-page research brief that highlights ongoing or recently completed research. Note: Research briefs are prepared by more than these three member states.
Research Idea
Only Oklahoma has developed and provided a fillable form for staff members to submit a research idea for consideration for funding.
Research Manual
Most member states provided a research manual that describes program processes for internal staff and external partners. The manuals for a few member states were under development at the time of database development.
Research Need or Problem Statement
Many member states offer a form or guidance for agency staff members or others developing a research need or problem statement in response to periodic solicitations for potential research. These forms vary in the level of detail required and many are provided as fillable forms.
Research Process
These publications describe member states’ particular research cycles, offer fillable forms for research teams to request changes and provide opportunities for researchers to estimate the value of the research that is underway.
Research Program Outreach
In addition to employing technology transfer to share results of the research they fund, member states also develop materials to engage with their own staff members, describing the goals of the research program, the overall research process and how research is prioritized to ensure that the research funded addresses agency needs. For one member state, publications are used to encourage participation in a particular research-related activity and address anticipated questions with a Q&A.
Research Proposal
Publications offering guidance to the research teams preparing a research proposal in response to a request for proposal or other type of solicitation range from templates for the preparing such a proposal to guidance for agency staff charged with reviewing, rating or scoring these proposals. Member state guidance also covers topics of interest in preparing research proposals and the timeline for identifying, proposing and selecting research projects.
Section 508
Some member state research manuals contain guidance on complying with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section508.gov, an official website of the U.S. General Services Administration, describes this law as applying “to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others.”
Only Washington has developed a separate guide to help researchers prepare Section 508-compliant documents.
Transportation Pooled Fund Program
The Transportation Pooled Fund Program “creates an opportunity for partners to pool their funds, subject matter expertise and resources to conduct high-priority research to meet a wide variety of shared transportation problems. Being able to pool funds allows participants to get more out of a study than if they conducted a study on their own. There are hundreds of active pooled fund studies, to help assist partners in finding and funding projects applicable to their agency’s needs.”
The three publications below were developed by member states to track requests for participation in new pooled fund projects and track the progress of pooled fund projects in which a member state already participates.