[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 234 (Thursday, December 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 96694-96695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28441]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Survey
of Doctorate Recipients
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 3,
2025 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
E6300, 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 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: 2025 Survey of Doctorate Recipients.
OMB Control Number: 3145-0020.
Expiration Date of Current Approval: July 31, 2026.
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 section 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.
[[Page 96695]]
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 2025 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 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://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/doctorate-recipients/. The first SDR longitudinal data products
were released in 2022 and are available here: Survey of Doctorate
Recipients: https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf22327.
The SDR will collect data by web survey and computer-assisted
telephone interviews beginning in June 2025. 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
additional 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://ncses.nsf.gov/explore-data/microdata.
Expected Respondents: The SDR sample is drawn using the Survey of
Earned Doctorates (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. For the 2025 SDR, a statistical sample of
approximately 116,000 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 (106,000) after removing
cases that have never responded or have chronically not responded. The
2025 sample will also include 10,000 new doctoral graduates who
received their U.S. doctorate between July 2021 and June 2023. 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 2025 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 2023 SDR completion times, NCSES estimates an average
completion time of approximately 21 minutes. NCSES estimates that the
average annual burden for the 2025 survey cycle over the course of the
three-year OMB clearance period will be no more than 9,474 hours
[(116,000 respondents x 70% response x 21 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: December 2, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-28441 Filed 12-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P