FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

ABOUT THE STUDY

What is the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR)?

The SDR is an ongoing survey of doctorate recipients who received their degrees from U.S. academic institutions and are living and working around the world. The survey has been conducted regularly since 1973.

For an overview of how the SDR data are used, please see: https://ncses.nsf.gov/301/assets/0/files/ncses_sdr.pdf.

Who is included in the SDR?

This survey is completed by individuals who have received a doctorate in science, engineering, or health from a U.S. academic institution. This includes those who received a doctorate in the biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences, computer and information sciences, mathematics and statistics, the physical sciences, psychology, the social sciences, engineering, and health.

What is the purpose of the SDR?

The SDR is the only comprehensive source of data on the careers of science, engineering, and health doctorate holders from U.S. academic institutions. It serves as an essential and irreplaceable resource on the training, work experience, and career development of the most highly educated portion of the population. Government agencies and academic researchers use data and reports from the SDR 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.

Approximately how many people participate in the SDR?

About 125,000 out of 1.2 million (approximately 10.0%) science, engineering, and health doctorate holders have been asked to participate in the 2023 SDR.

Who sponsors and who collects data for the SDR?

The SDR is sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NSF and NIH are agencies of the United States government that fund research and development. The missions of the NSF and NIH are to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure national defense. Through grants and contracts, NSF and NIH sponsor scientific research, develop programs designed to strengthen scientific potential, support educational programs, and appraise the impact of research upon industrial development and innovation.

The NSF has contracted with NORC, a not-for-profit corporation affiliated with the University of Chicago, to collect data for the SDR.

Does the SDR also seek to survey scientists and engineers who live abroad?

Absolutely! Anyone who earned their science, engineering, or health research doctorate degree from a U.S. academic institution is eligible for the SDR regardless of where they currently live or work.

How are the SDR data used?

The SDR is the only national, comprehensive source of data on the careers of science, engineering, and health doctoral degree holders educated in the U.S. Completing the survey is an easy way to contribute to your educational community and to the public interest.

Data from the SDR help government, business, academic, and industrial leaders to forecast labor demand and supply in many fields—your participation increases the accuracy of these data.
Educational institutions use data from the SDR to establish and modify scientific or technical curricula—your participation helps these institutions make better decisions.
Many U.S. government agencies use data from the SDR to get an overall sense of scientific, engineering, and health resources, and then formulate STEM policies in view of these resources—your participation increases the accuracy of the data on which these policy decisions are made.
Private industry uses the SDR data to understand employment and salary trends and to develop recruitment strategies and benefits packages that are effective—your participation helps industry leaders better understand the scientific and technical workplace.
College students use information from the SDR to help make decisions about graduate study and about careers—your participation makes the data more useful to these students.

Why does the SDR ask about the week of February 1, 2023?

This survey is conducted over a period of several months. To standardize data collection procedures, the National Science Foundation (NSF) selected the week of February 1 as a reference to assure that everyone who participates will be asked about the same time period. It has no other special significance.

What are some recent publications and research done using the SDR?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) produces a variety of publications; some are congressionally mandated. NSF publications can be found on the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) website, https://ncses.nsf.gov/. SDR Publications includes an extensive list of publications that use the SDR data.

What authority does the National Science Foundation (NSF) have to collect this information?

Within the NSF is the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), a federal statistical agency. As mandated by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, the mission of NCSES is to serve as a central Federal clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development. To accomplish this mission, NCSES is tasked to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate statistical data related to the science and engineering enterprise in the United States and other nations that is relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public, including statistical data on—

research and development trends;
the science and engineering workforce
United States competitiveness in science, engineering, technology, and research and development; and
the condition and progress of United States STEM education.

Prior to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, information for the SDR was collected under authority provided to NSF in the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. That Act states, "The National Science Foundation is authorized to provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal government."

Where may I see the results from prior SDR surveys?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) publishes the SDR results and data in two notable report series: Science and Engineering Indicators 2022 and Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023. Beyond these reports, the NSF also publishes special topic reports relating to the doctoral workforce. These publications are available online at www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctoratework.

YOUR PARTICIPATION

Why should I complete the SDR?

The SDR tracks career interests and employment trends for a very important portion of the population: science, engineering, and health doctorate holders. Since we cannot interview the entire population of doctorate holders, we scientifically selected a sample from it, including you, to be part of the survey. Your responses represent not just you, but also many other highly educated individuals like you; if you do not share your career and work history with the SDR, you and those that you represent will not be accounted for. Your participation helps to ensure that the SDR information is valid and complete.

How was I selected to participate in the SDR?

The SDR sample was randomly selected from the Doctorate Record File (DRF), a database containing the name and degree information of all individuals who earned research doctoral degrees from U.S. academic institutions. Sample members serve as representatives of the entire U.S.-trained doctoral population in the fields of science, engineering, and health.

Upon completing your doctoral degree, you were asked to complete a Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) questionnaire, and this information was added to the DRF. From among those listed in the DRF up through academic year 2021, you were randomly selected to participate in the Survey of Doctorate Recipients. The most recent doctorate recipients listed in the DRF are added to the overall SDR sample every 2 years when the survey is conducted to fully represent the current U.S.-educated doctorate population.

How do I complete the SDR survey?

You may complete the 2023 SDR survey in one of three ways:

online via a secure connection to the Internet,
on a paper version of the survey, or
by telephone with a professional interviewer.

Please contact the survey contractor, NORC, toll-free at 1-800-685-1663 or send an email to SDR@norc.org. Let us know your preference, and we will be happy to accommodate you. You may also schedule a phone interview online using FlexBooker.

I participated in the SDR just a few years ago. Why do I need to answer essentially the same questions again?

Because the SDR is a panel survey—a study of a group of individuals over a number of years—it is critical for the SDR to interview the same individuals over time. Examining results over time allows researchers and policy makers to more clearly understand the decisions made by science, engineering, and health doctorate holders over time.

I am now retired. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?

The study includes people in a variety of employment situations. Learning that you’ve retired—whether you’ve retired but have since returned to work part time or full time, or whether you’ve stopped working entirely—is important information that makes SDR trend data more complete and more useful. The National Science Foundation is especially interested in how the career paths of retirees may change over time and in the current economy—an economy in which some retirees need to return to work, perhaps in fields that are very different from the fields of their doctoral degrees, and in which some workers may retire either earlier or later than planned. The only way to track such career changes and trends is to include all respondents in the survey, even those retired individuals who intend to stay retired. Your participation can help to ensure that our information genuinely represents a complex and changing workforce.

The 2023 SDR features a new module of retirement-focused questions specifically designed to capture the nuanced experiences of doctorates who are partially, fully, or formerly retired, recognizing the partial and phased approach people may take to decreasing and eventually breaking off from workforce participation. The new questions also aim to understand the circumstances and reasons for retirement, as well as various behaviors and activities people may do during retirement.

Nothing has changed since I last took the survey. Why can’t you just use my answers from last round?

Even when no changes come to mind initially, there may be minor changes in your situation that contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of your situation. We have often found that re-asking these questions uncovers these subtle changes. The SDR seeks to develop aggregate trend data. Whether all or some your responses stay the same, change a little or a lot, your participation over time allows analysts and policy makers to better understand the circumstances of the most highly-trained individuals in our population.

I was retired during the last round of the SDR and am still retired. Do you still need me to answer these questions?

Yes. The SDR includes people in every employment situation. Tracking whether you've retired and returned to work, or whether you remain retired, is essential information that makes the SDR trend data more complete and useful. The only way to track such career decisions is to include all respondents in the survey, even retired individuals who plan to stay retired.

Your responses will give the SDR researchers crucial information about the retirement activities and labor force status of doctorate holders, which can aid analysts and policy makers in the decisions that shape the recruitment, training, and employment policies of doctorate recipients. The addition of a retirement-dedicated section to the 2023 SDR is meant to help NSF understand doctorates like you.

I did not recently earn my doctorate, why are you contacting me now?

In 2019, the SDR updated the sample design to allow for improved estimation. As a result, individuals representing the U.S.-trained SEH doctorate population under age 76 including some who earned their degree many years ago have been invited to participate in the survey.

I do not work in my doctorate field of study. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?

The SDR includes people working in a variety of industries and fields. Some people still work in their doctorate degree field and others do not. People work outside of their field of study for a variety of reasons and the National Science Foundation (NSF) is interested in understanding the career pathways of all individuals who earned a doctorate degree whether they are still working in field or not. Your participation will help ensure that the career pathways of all doctorate degree holders are represented.

How is the survey contractor, NORC, concerned with the rights or welfare of those who may participate in SDR?

NORC at the University of Chicago is committed to rigorous ethical guidelines in all interactions with study participants. As a result, NORC follows a series of principles that are stipulated in the Code of Federal Regulations and has set up an Institutional Review Board (commonly referred to as an IRB) to oversee all concerns about human subjects in its research projects. This IRB is required to make decisions without regard to any financial concerns that NORC may face.

If you have questions about your rights as an SDR participant, call the NORC IRB Administrator toll-free at 1-866-309-0542 or send an email to irb@norc.org.

I do not live or work in the United States. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?

Scientists and engineers with doctoral degrees are highly trained and mobile. Many move from one country to another to take advantage of opportunities in their fields. Understanding the employment opportunities and career paths of science, engineering, and health doctorate holders is important no matter where they live or work.

How do I know this study is legitimate?

All federal government data collections are required to be reviewed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB number for the SDR is 3145-0020, Expiration Date 07/31/2024. You may also contact the NSF SDR Project Officer, Lynn Milan, at lmilan@nsf.gov.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY

How did the SDR get my name?

Your name came from the Doctorate Records File (DRF). The DRF is a database that contains the name and degree information for all individuals who earned a research doctorate in the United States. You were scientifically and randomly selected from this database to be part of the SDR.

How is my privacy protected? What assurances can you make that information I provide to the SDR will remain confidential?

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and NORC at the University of Chicago maintain the highest standards of confidentiality. All information captured in the SDR is treated as confidential, protected under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018. Both statutes mandate that SDR data must be exclusively used for statistical purposes. Under CIPSEA, data may not be released to unauthorized persons. Willful and knowing disclosure of protected data to unauthorized persons is a felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the Federal systems that transmit your data.

Participation in the SDR is also entirely voluntary, and there are no penalties for failing to answer any particular question(s). A respondent’s answers are never reported individually but instead are grouped with answers from other persons in the survey to create statistical and analytical reports. No information obtained in the course of this survey may be disclosed in a manner in which the individual supplying the information is identifiable, except to a very small number of authorized staff at NSF and NORC, and then only for survey administrative purposes, not for dissemination. In short, at no point does the SDR identify individual respondents and NSF never publishes individual responses.

For more information, see Privacy Information.

Where did you get my contacting information/phone number/email/address?

It is important to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to reach all sampled doctorate holders selected for the SDR. To reach everyone, NORC uses a variety of sources to obtain contact information, including information you provided when filling out either the Survey of Earned Doctorates or a previous cycle of the SDR as well as publicly available sources online.

I am on the National Do Not Call Registry. Why do I still get calls about the SDR?

The primary objective of the National Do Not Call Registry is to stop telemarketing or sales calls. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required by law to provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources. Conducting the SDR and asking you to participate in the survey is one of the ways that NSF fulfills this lawful mandate. NORC is managing the survey on behalf of the NSF, and you have been scientifically selected to represent many doctoral degree holders similar to you—this is why you have been contacted and we hope that you will choose to participate in this important survey.

Is the study website secure?

Yes! NORC operates a secure computer facility dedicated to confidentiality and data protection of this and other federal studies. Your data will be encrypted and transmitted to and from NORC web servers through the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology. This proven security protocol is widely used to support e-commerce transactions, server account authentication, and data encryption.

ACCESSIBILITY

Can I download a pdf copy of the SDR questionnaire?

Yes! Click here for a PDF copy of the SDR questionnaire.

Is the SDR 508 compliant?

NCSES is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities and is continually improving the user experience for everyone. The online survey is 508 compliant. The Survey of Doctorate Recipients website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.0 level AA, which means some content may not fully conform to the accessibility standard. If you encounter any accessibility barriers while using this site, please contact us at 1-800-685-1663.

I do not like to complete surveys online/I have a disability that makes completing the SDR survey online difficult. May I complete the survey in another way?

The 2023 SDR online survey is 508 compliant; however if you’d prefer, you may complete the 2023 SDR either in a paper version or by telephone with a professional interviewer.

CONTACT US

How do I contact the National Science Foundation (NSF)?

If you have further questions about the SDR, or if you would like information about the survey data, please contact the NSF SDR Project Officer, Lynn Milan, via email at lmilan@nsf.gov.

What if my question is not in this list of SDR Frequently Asked Questions?

The SDR sponsor, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation, has contracted with NORC to conduct data collection. If you have any further questions about the survey, please contact NORC:

Toll-free within the U.S. and Canada: 1-800-685-1663
Outside the U.S.: (312) 871-4272
Project email: SDR@norc.org

Alternately, you may reach NORC SDR project staff via U.S. mail at the following address:

2023 Survey of Doctorate Recipients
NORC
55 E. Monroe St.
Ste. 1900
Chicago, IL 60603-9914

Is additional information available?

For additional information about the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, please visit the National Science Foundation (NSF) website: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctoratework

For additional information about NORC at the University of Chicago’s role in the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, please visit the NORC website: http://www.norc.org/Research/Projects/Pages/survey-of-doctorate-recipients.aspx

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS