[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74664-74665]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26422]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 
National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 
(NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing 
plans to request renewal of the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), 
[OMB Control Number 3145-0020]. In accordance with the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, NCSES is providing opportunity for 
public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public 
comment, NCSES will prepare the submission requesting that OMB approve 
clearance of this collection for three years.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by February 6, 
2023 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to the 
address below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 
E7465, 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: 
    Title of Collection: 2023 Survey of Doctorate Recipients.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-0020.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: July 31, 2024.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to extend an information 
collection for three years.
    Abstract: Established within the NSF by the America COMPETES

[[Page 74665]]

Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec.  505, codified in the National Science 
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, the National Center for Science and 
Engineering Statistics (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.
    NCSES is the primary sponsor of the Survey of Doctorate Recipients 
(SDR); the National Institutes of Health (NIH) serves as a co-sponsor. 
The SDR has been conducted biennially since 1973 and is a longitudinal 
survey. The 2023 SDR will consist of a sample of individuals under 76 
years of age who have earned a research doctoral degree in a science, 
engineering, or health (SEH) field from a U.S. academic institution. 
The purpose of this panel survey is to collect data to provide national 
estimates on the doctoral science and engineering workforce and changes 
in their employment, education, and demographic characteristics. NCSES 
uses these data to prepare essential congressionally mandated reports 
(explained below). Government agencies and academic researchers use SDR 
data and publications to make planning decisions regarding science and 
engineering research, training, and employment opportunities. Employers 
also use the SDR to understand trends in employment sectors, industry 
types, and salary. Students who want to learn about the relationship 
between graduate education and careers often obtain valuable 
information from the SDR. Data and publications from the SDR are 
available to the public on the NCSES website: https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctoratework/. The first SDR longitudinal data products 
were released in 2022.
    The SDR will collect data by web survey, mail questionnaire, and 
computer-assisted telephone interviews beginning in June 2023. The 
survey will be collected in conformance with the Confidential 
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018 
and the individual's response to the survey is voluntary. NCSES will 
ensure that all information collected will be kept strictly 
confidential and will be used only for statistical purposes.
    Use of the Information: NCSES uses the information from the SDR to 
prepare two congressionally mandated reports: Diversity and STEM: 
Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities and Science and 
Engineering Indicators. NCSES publishes statistics from the SDR in many 
reports, primarily in the biennial series, Characteristics of 
Scientists and Engineers with U.S. Doctorates. As with prior SDR data 
collections, a cross-sectional public release file of collected data 
designed to protect respondent confidentiality will be made available 
to researchers on the NCSES website: https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/datadownload/.
    Expected Respondents: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) previously directed that NCSES enhance and expand the sample to 
measure employment outcomes by the fine field of degree taxonomy used 
in the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED). NCSES initiated this change 
in the 2015 cycle and has since maintained it by developing a detailed 
field of degree taxonomy based on the SED fine fields that is 
aggregated to a level that is reportable and sustainable. (For 
information defining these fields, see the survey technical notes.) The 
SDR sample is drawn using the SED as a frame. The SDR uses a fixed 
panel design with a sample of new doctoral graduates added to the panel 
in each biennial survey cycle. The sample stratification, allocation, 
and estimation precision targets are described in the survey 
description.
    For the 2023 SDR, a statistical sample of approximately 130,000 
individuals with U.S. earned doctorates in science, engineering, or 
health will be contacted. The sample consists of all eligible cases 
from the previous cycle (115,000) after removing cases that have never 
responded (6,700), including those from the 2017 SDR new sample and the 
2019 SDR supplemental sample, as well as a sample of 10,000 new 
doctoral graduates. In addition, the sample includes 5,000 cases that 
will be part of a non-production bridge panel designed to quantify the 
potential impact of question wording modifications on key survey 
estimates. For 2023, the new graduate sample received their U.S. 
doctorate between July 2019 and June 2021. Across the full sample, 
NCSES estimates approximately 88% of individuals will reside in the 
U.S. and the remaining 12% will reside abroad.
    Estimate of Burden: NCSES expects the overall 2023 SDR response 
rate to be approximately 70 percent. The amount of time to complete the 
questionnaire may vary depending on an individual's circumstances; 
however, based on 2021 SDR completion times and the potential addition 
of new retirement-related items for a subsample of respondents, NCSES 
estimates an average completion time of approximately 25 minutes. NCSES 
estimates that the average annual burden for the 2023 survey cycle over 
the course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no more than 
12,639 hours [(130,000 individuals x 70% response x 25 minutes)/60 
minutes/3 years].
    Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of NCSES, including whether the information shall have 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of NCSES's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, use, and clarity of the information on respondents, 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, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

    Dated: November 30, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-26422 Filed 12-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P