Get your Economics of Transportation paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.4
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Economics of Transportation goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Economics of Transportation guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Economics of Transportation. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Economics of Transportation journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Economics of Transportation guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Economics of Transportation guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through the journal's submission system.
| Element | Econ Transportation requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Maximum 250 words. Must be concise and factual, briefly stating the purpose of the research, principal results, and major conclusions. No specific structure or mandatory headings mentioned; appears to be unstructured. No differentiation by article type stated |
| Main text | Organize sections for the chosen article type; no single overall word limit is stated in the accessible guide |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Required: 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Must be written in English. Authors should avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of') and avoid abbreviations unless firmly established in the field |
| References | Author-year system. In-text citations: single author (Name, Year); two authors (Both names, Year); three or more authors (First author et al., Year). No strict formatting requirements at submission as long as style is consistent; journal-specific style applied after acceptance at proof stage. Reference list arranged alphabetically, then chronologically if necessary. Journal names abbreviated according to LTWA |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (also known as single-blind review). Submissions are initially assessed by editors for suitability, then typically sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/ECOTRA |
Read the Economics of Transportation guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Economics of Transportation in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Econ Transportation papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Economics of Transportation journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Economics of Transportation guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.