[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 209 (Monday, October 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54377-54378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23561]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within
the National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or
other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing
information collection. The NCSES will publish periodic summaries of
the proposed projects.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by December 28,
2018 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to the
address listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite
W18253, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send
email to [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days a year (including Federal holidays).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the NCSES, including whether the information will have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the NCSES's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology.
Title of Collection: Survey of Earned Doctorates.
OMB Approval Number: 3145-0019.
Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 2020.
Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information
collection for three years.
Abstract: Established within NSF by the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec. 505, codified in the NSF Act of 1950,
as amended, NCSES serves as a central Federal clearinghouse for the
collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective
data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development
for use by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.
The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is part of NCSES' survey
system that collects data on individuals in an effort to provide
information on science and engineering education and careers in the
United States. The SED has been conducted annually since 1958 and is
jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National
Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, and National
Endowment for the Humanities in order to avoid duplication. It is an
accurate, timely source of information on one of our Nation's most
important resources--highly educated individuals.
Data are obtained primarily via Web survey from each person earning
a research doctorate at the time they receive the degree. Data are
collected on their field of specialty, educational background, sources
of support in graduate school, debt level, postgraduation plans, and
demographic characteristics. The Federal government, universities,
researchers, and others use the information extensively. NCSES
publishes statistics from the survey in several reports, primarily in
the annual publication series Doctorate Recipients from U.S.
Universities. These reports are available on the NCSES website. The
survey will be collected in conformance with the Privacy Act of 1974.
Responses from individuals are voluntary. NCSES will ensure that all
individually identifiable information collected will be kept strictly
confidential and will be used only for research or statistical
purposes.
Use of the Information: Results from the SED are used to assess
characteristics of the doctorate population and trends in doctoral
education and degrees by researchers, policy makers, universities, and
government agencies. Data from the survey are published annually on the
NCSES website in a publication series reporting on all fields of study,
titled Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities. Information from
the SED is also included in other series available online: Science and
Engineering Indicators; and Women, Minorities, and Persons with
Disabilities in Science and Engineering. In addition, access to tabular
data from selected variables is available through Integrated Data Tool,
an online table-generating tool on the NCSES website.
Expected Respondents: The SED is a census of all individuals
receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. academic
institution in the academic year beginning 1 July and ending 30 June of
the subsequent year. As such, the population for the 2020 SED consists
of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month
period beginning 1 July 2019 and ending 30 June 2020. Likewise, the
population for the 2021 SED consists of all individuals receiving a
research doctorate in the 12-month period beginning 1 July 2020 and
ending 30 June 2021. A research doctorate is a doctoral degree that (1)
requires completion of an original intellectual contribution in the
form of a dissertation or an equivalent culminating project (e.g.,
musical composition) and (2) is not primarily intended as a degree for
the practice of a profession. The most common research doctorate degree
is the Ph.D. Recipients of professional doctoral degrees, such as MD,
DDS, JD, DPharm, and PsyD, are not included in the SED. The 2020 and
2021 SED are expected to include about 606 separately reporting
doctoral programs from among approximately 446 eligible research
doctorate-granting institutions.
Estimate of Burden: A total response rate of 91.4% of the 54,664
persons who earned a research doctorate from a U.S. institution was
obtained in academic year 2017. This level of response rate has been
consistent for several years. Based on the historical trend, in 2020
approximately 58,000 individuals are expected to receive research
doctorates from U.S. institutions. Using the past response rate, the
number of SED respondents in 2020 is estimated to be 52,780 (58,000
doctorate recipients x 0.91 response rate). Similarly, the number of
individuals expected to earn
[[Page 54378]]
research doctorates in 2021 is estimated to be about 59,000; hence, the
number of respondents in 2021 is estimated to be 53,690 (59,000 x
0.91).
Based on the average Web survey completion time for the 2018 SED
(19 minutes) and the extension of a few questions to an additional
subset of respondents, NCSES estimates that, on average, 21 minutes per
respondent will be required to complete the 2020 or 2021 SED
questionnaire. The annual respondent burden for completing the SED is
therefore estimated at 18,473 hours in 2020 (52,780 respondents x 21
minutes) and 18,792 hours in 2021 (based on 53,690 respondents). In
addition to the actual questionnaire, the SED requires the collection
of administrative data from participating academic institutions. The
Institutional Coordinator at the institution helps distribute the Web
survey link (and paper surveys when necessary), track survey
completions, and submit information to the SED survey contractor. Based
on focus groups conducted with Institutional Coordinators, it is
estimated that the SED demands no more than 1% of the Institutional
Coordinator's time over the course of a year, which computes to 20
hours per year per Institutional Coordinator (40 hours per week x 50
weeks per year x .01). With about 606 programs expected to participate
in the SED in 2020 and 2021, the estimated annual burden to
Institutional Coordinators of administering the SED is 12,120 hours.
Therefore, the total annual information burden for the SED is estimated
to be 30,593 (18,473 + 12,120) hours in 2020 and 30,912 (18,792 +
12,120) hours in 2021.
Dated: October 24, 2018.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2018-23561 Filed 10-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P