[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 218 (Wednesday, November 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64130-64131]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28276]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), and as part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent burden, the National Science Foundation (NSF) 
is inviting the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
this proposed continuing information collection. This is the second 
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal 
Register at 68 FR 37866 and no comments were received. NSF is 
forwarding the proposed submission to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with the publication of this 
second notice.

DATES: Comments regarding these information collections are best 
assured of having their full effect if received by OMB within 30 days 
of publication in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding (a) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
NSF, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) 
the accuracy of NSF's estimate of burden including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; or (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology should be addressed to: Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
National Science Foundation, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503, and to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, 
Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send email to [email protected]. Copies of 
the submission may be obtained by callling (703) 292-7556.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, NSF Reports 
Clearance Officer at (703) 292-7556 or send e-mail to [email protected].
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Collection: Generic Clearance of the Science Resources 
Statistics Survey Improvement Projects.
    OMB Control No.: 3145-0174.
    Abstract: The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of 
Science Resources Statistics (SRS) needs to collect timely data on 
constant changes in the science and technology sector and to provide 
the most complete and accurate information possible to policy makers in 
Congress and throughout government and academia. NSF/SRS conducts many 
surveys to obtain the data for these purposes. The Generic Clearance 
will be used to ensure that the highest quality data is obtained from 
these surveys. State-of-the-art methodology will be used to develop, 
evaluate, and test questionnaires as well as to improve survey 
methodology. This may include field or pilot tests of questions for 
future large-scale surveys, as needed.
    Expected Respondents. The respondents will be from industry, 
academia, nonprofit organizations, members of the public, and Federal 
agencies. Respondents will be either individuals or institutions, 
depending upon the survey under investigation. Qualitative procedures 
will generally be conducted in person, but quantitative procedures may 
be conducted using the same mode as the survey under investigation. Up 
to 8,020 respondents will be contacted across all survey improvement 
projects. No respondent will be contacted more than twice in one year 
under this generic clearance. Every effort will be made to use 
technology to limit the burden on respondents from small entities.
    Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to improve 
NSF's current data collection instruments and processes and to reduce 
respondent burden, as well as to develop new surveys. Qualitative 
methods include, but are not limited to, expert review; exploratory, 
cognitive, and usability interviews; focus groups; and respondent 
debriefings. Cognitive and usability interviews may include the use of 
scenarios, paraphrasing, card sorts, vignette classifications, and 
rating tasks. Quantitative methods include, but are not limited to, 
behavior coding, split panel tests, and field tests.
    Information being collected is not considered sensitive. In 
general, assurances of data confidentiality will not be provided to 
respondents in the pretests. Instead, respondents have the option of 
requesting that any and all data they provide be kept confidential.
    Use of the Information. The purpose of these studies is to use the 
latest and most appropriate methodology to improve NSF surveys. The 
data will be used internally to improve NSF surveys. Methodological 
findings may be presented externally in technical papers

[[Page 64131]]

at conferences, published in the proceedings of conferences, or in 
journals. Improved NSF surveys will help policy makers in decisions on 
research and development funding, graduate education, scientific and 
technical workforce, regulations, and reporting guidelines, as well as 
contributing to reduced survey costs.
    Burden on the Public. NSF estimates that a total reporting and 
recordkeeping burden of 11,200 hours will result from pretesting to 
improve its surveys. The calculation is:

 Table 1.--Anticipated Surveys To Undertake Improvement Projects, Along
       With the Number of Respondents and Burden Hours Per Survey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Number of
                Survey name                 respondents\1\      Hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graduate Student Survey...................     \2\ 15,500         31,500
Sestat Surveys............................          5,000          5,000
New Postdoc Survey........................            800          1,000
New and Redesigned R&D Surveys:
    Academic R&D..........................            600            600
    Government R&D........................             50             50
    Nonprofit R&D.........................            200            100
    Industry R&D..........................            500          1,000
Survey of Scientific & Engineering                    300            150
 Facilities...............................
Instrumentation...........................            150            300
Public Understanding of S&E Surveys.......            200             50
Scientific Publications...................            120            250
Additional surveys not specified..........            400          1,200
                                           -----------------
      Total...............................         23,820         41,200
                                           =================
Graduate Student Survey...................            500          1,500
Sestat Surveys............................          5,000          5,000
New Postdoc Survey........................            800          1,000
New and Redesigned R&D Surveys:
    Academic R&D..........................            600            600
    Government R&D........................             50             50
    Nonprofit R&D.........................            200            100
    Industry R&D..........................            500          1,000
Survey of Scientific & Engineering                    300            150
 Facilities...............................
Instrumentation...........................            150            300
Public Understanding of S&E Surveys.......            200             50
Scientific Publications...................            120            250
Additional surveys not specified..........            400          1,200
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\1\ Number of respondents listed for any individual survey may represent
  several methodological improvement projects.
\2\ This number refers to the science and engineering departments within
  the academic institutions of the United States (not the academic
  institutions themselves). This number is large enough to accommodate a
  split panel test of this survey.

    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: November 5, 2003.
Suzanne Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 03-28276 Filed 11-10-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M