The Early Career Doctorates Project
was established to gather in-depth information about early career
doctorates (ECDs), including postdoctoral researchers (postdocs).
Early career doctorates are critical to the success of the U.S.
scientific enterprise and will influence U.S. and global scientific
markets for years to come. Despite their importance, current
surveys of this population are limited, and extant workforce
studies are insufficient for all doctorates who contribute to the
U.S. economy. The NSF's Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) and the
Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) are limited to individuals who
received their research doctorates from U.S. academic institutions,
thereby excluding individuals who earned their professional
doctorates and those who earned doctorates from institutions
outside the United States but are currently employed in the United
States. The NSF's Survey of Graduate Students and Postdocotrates in
Science and Engineering (GSS) provides aggregate level data for all
postdocs and nonfaculty researchers regardless of where they earned
the degree. However, the GSS is limited to science, engineering,
and selected health (SEH) fields in U.S. academic institutions and
their related research facilities and is collected at the program
rather than individual level. Through its multi-year Postdoc Data
Project, NCSES determined the need for and the feasibility of
gathering information about postdocs and other ECDs working in the
United States.
US Code:
42
USC 1862 Name of Law: National Science Foundation Act of 1950,
as amended
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.