[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75670-75671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26835]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request: Survey 
of Earned Doctorates

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
renew this collection. In accordance with the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing opportunity for 
public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public 
comments, NSF will prepare the submission requesting OMB clearance of 
this collection for three years.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by February 7, 
2023 to be assured 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 
E7400, 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: Survey of Earned Doctorates.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-0019.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: April 30, 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 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec.  505, codified in the NSF 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.
    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 four Federal agencies (NSF/NCSES, National 
Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education/National Center for 
Education Statistics, and National Endowment for the Humanities) to 
avoid duplication of effort in collecting such data. It is an accurate, 
timely source of information on one of our Nation's most important 
resources--highly educated individuals. This request to extend the 
information collection for three years is to cover the 2024 and 2025 
SED survey cycles.
    Data are obtained 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. NCSES publishes statistics from the survey 
in several reports. 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: The Federal government, universities, 
researchers, policy makers, and others use the information extensively. 
Results from the SED are used to assess characteristics of the 
doctorate population and trends in doctoral education and degrees. 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 (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/doctorates). Information from the SED is also included in other series 
available online: Science and Engineering Indicators (https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators); and Women, Minorities, and Persons with 
Disabilities in Science and Engineering (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/women). In addition, access to tabular data from selected 
variables is available through the NCSES online data tool (https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/builder/sed) and the SED Restricted Data System 
(https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/rdas).
    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 2024 SED consists 
of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month 
period beginning 1 July 2023 and

[[Page 75671]]

ending 30 June 2024. Likewise, the population for the 2025 SED consists 
of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month 
period beginning 1 July 2024 and ending 30 June 2025. 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 2024 and 2025 SED are expected to 
include about 620 separately reporting schools with eligible research 
doctoral programs from among about 460 doctorate-granting institutions. 
Based on the historical trend, NCSES expects that approximately 57,000 
individuals will receive a research doctorate from U.S. institutions in 
2024, and approximately 58,000 in 2025.
    In addition to the questionnaire for individuals receiving their 
research doctorates, the SED requires the collection of administrative 
data such as graduation lists from participating academic institutions. 
The Institutional Coordinator at the institution helps distribute the 
Web survey link, track survey completions, and submit information to 
the SED survey contractor.
    Estimate of Burden: An average overall response rate of 92% of the 
persons who earned a research doctorate from a U.S. institution was 
obtained in the academic years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Using the past 
response rate, the number of SED respondents in 2024 is estimated to be 
52,440 (57,000 doctorate recipients x 0.92 response rate). Similarly, 
the number of respondents in 2025 is estimated to be 53,360 (58,000 x 
0.92).
    Based on the average Web survey completion time for the 2021 SED 
(19 minutes), NCSES estimates that, on average, 20 minutes per 
respondent, with a few potential new questions, will be required to 
complete the 2024 or 2025 SED Web survey. The annual respondent burden 
for completing the SED is therefore estimated at 17,480 hours in 2024 
(52,440 respondents x 20 minutes) and 17,787 hours in 2025 (based on 
53,360 respondents).
    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 620 schools expected to participate 
in the SED in 2024 and 2025, the estimated annual burden to 
Institutional Coordinators of administering the SED is 12,400 hours per 
survey cycle.
    Therefore, the total information burden for the SED is estimated to 
be 29,880 (17,480 + 12,400) hours in the 2024 survey cycle and 30,187 
(17,787 + 12,400) hours in the 2025 survey cycle. NCSES estimates that 
the average annual burden for the 2024 and 2025 survey cycles over the 
course of the three-year OMB clearance period will be no more than 
20,022 hours [(29,880 hours + 30,187 hours)/3 years].
    Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the NSF, including whether the information shall have 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the NSF'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: December 6, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-26835 Filed 12-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P