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[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
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