Publication types

The TSR journal publishes the following types of manuscripts.

Research article

This is the most classical format of a scientific publication. It requires a clearly stated research problem, transparent description of the methods used to address it, presentation of the data and analysis results, discussion and conclusions sections.

Research articles are always sent to external reviewers (peer scientists with the competence in the related areas).

Review

A review provides a critical account on what has been published (or done) by others. It is important that the review itself is a source of new knowledge—it could be summary of pros and cons of methods currently in use, identification of knowledge gaps, examples of real-world cases that are not underpinned by results from literature, directions for future work, etc. A good review usually focuses on a limited topic, avoids tedious retelling of the literature in a ‘laundry list’ format, adheres to objective and balanced writing, involves critical analysis and avoids simplistic conclusions. We strongly recommend the authors to critically check their work against the best practices in writing reviews (e.g. here and here) before submitting their work.

Review articles are sent to external reviewers.

Short communication

Short communication is a professional narrative presenting an innovative hypothesis or early findings when the available data does not allow to develop it into a full-scale research article.

Short communication articles are peer-reviewed, however the reviewers are informed about the paper format and that the expectations are slightly different.

Case report

Case report presents specific case related to introduction of an innovative traffic safety measure, observation of previously unknown or understudied risk factor, accident of an unusual scenario, etc. that can be of interest to the wide scientific audience.

Case reports are reviewed by the handling editor who also takes the final decision on whether the case is sufficiently interesting for publication.

Position paper

Position paper is a short essay in which an expert (usually of highly established reputation, which makes her/his opinion relevant to know about) expresses views on a particular problem or aspect of traffic safety. The expert might be initially approached by the editorial team, or write a position paper on own initiative (in this case, please, get in contact with the TSR to initiate the discussion).

Tight communication is expected between the author and the handling editor. The latter acts as a formal peer reviewer and takes the final decision on whether the paper should be published.

Response letter

Response letter is a format meant to facilitate high-quality post-publication discussions. It may contain critique (or praise) of the work done by the authors of a published article, or point out aspects that are relevant yet not addressed in the original publication. The points raised must be substantive, appropriate (legally, ethically, with regards to language, etc.) and of interest to other readers. The response letter is published as a stand-alone article. The authors of the original article are encouraged (though not obliged) to provide a response which can also be published as a response letter.

A response letter is expected to be relatively short (few pages). It may contain figures and tables if necessary to illustrate the point. It must be clear from the text which TSR publication the letter responds to; similarly, the text must describe in sufficient detail how the original article treats a particular point before criticizing it.

The author must provide a statement regarding any conflicting interests, or state their absence. A published response letter reveals its author's name, affiliation, and contact details. It is not possible to publish a response letter anonymously.

Please, get in contact with the TSR to initiate the discussion. The entire process is moderated by an assigned journal editor who also has the final decision power in how the letter is treated. In general, the editor's function is to let through only substantial and constructive discussion, free from personal accusations, unsupported opinions, or questionable arguments.

Addendum

An addendum provides additions to a published article written by the same authors. The new information should neither contradict the original publication (rather built further on it) nor be used for fixing errors (read more about corrections here).

An addendum may be peer reviewed, but in most cases the editor is expected to be capable of taking own decisions.

Please, get in contact with the TSR to initiate the discussion.

Correction/Retraction/Removal notice and Expression of concern

These article types are generated by the journal in order to inform the readers about any updates to the contents or the status of the articles published earlier.

Read more about post-publications updates here.