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National Science Foundation

National Institute of Health

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SDR Survey of
Doctorate Recipients
Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR)?
  • What is the purpose of SDR?
  • Who is conducting the SDR?
  • Who is included in the SDR?
  • Approximately how many people participate in the SDR?
  • How did SDR get my name?
  • Why should I complete the SDR?
  • How is the SDR data used?
  • What are some recent publications and research done using the SDR?
  • How do I complete the SDR survey?
  • I am now retired. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?
  • I do not live or work in the United States. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?
  • Why does the SDR ask about the week of October 1, 2010?
  • How was I selected to participate in the SDR?
  • I participated in the SDR just two years ago. Why do I need to answer essentially the same questions again?
  • Will my answers to the SDR be confidential?
  • How is my privacy protected? What assurances can you make that information I provide to the SDR will remain confidential?
  • I know you say that all of my information is kept confidential, but, hasn't the Patriot Act changed all of that?
  • What authority does the National Science Foundation (NSF) have to collect this information?
  • I have a disability that makes completing the SDR Web Survey difficult. May I complete the survey in another way?
  • I do not like to complete surveys via the Internet. May I complete the SDR in another way?
  • Does SDR also seek to survey scientists and engineers that live abroad?
  • Where may I see the results from prior SDR surveys?
  • Is additional information available?
  • How do I contact the National Science Foundation?
  • How is NORC concerned with the rights or welfare of those who may participate in SDR?
  • I am on the National Do Not Call Registry. Why do I still get calls about the SDR?
  • What if my question is not in this list of SDR Frequently Asked Questions?


    What is the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR)?
    SDR is an ongoing survey of doctorate recipients who received their degrees from academic institutions within the United States. The survey has been conducted regularly since 1973.

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    What is the purpose of SDR?
    SDR is designed to provide demographic and career history information about science, engineering, and health doctorate holders. Government agencies and academic researchers use SDR to make planning decisions regarding science and engineering research, training, and employment opportunities. Employers also use 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 SDR.

    According to the National Science Foundation, this study is the only 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 a highly educated population.

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    Who is conducting the SDR?
    SDR is being administered by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago as a contractor for the National Science Foundation.

    The National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health
    SDR is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NSF is an independent agency of the United States government, established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. 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 National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago
    SDR is being conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. NORC is a self-governing, not-for-profit corporation affiliated with the University of Chicago. Founded in 1941, NORC has a mission to advance the methodology of public opinion and informational surveys that provide accurate, well-focused, and high quality data to inform and invigorate decision-making. NORC is one of the oldest and most respected social science research organizations in the United States. National policy-makers have often used results from many NORC studies as an aid in planning and decision-making.

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    Who is included in the SDR?
    This survey is completed by individuals who have received a doctorate in science, engineering, or health from U.S. academic institutions. 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.

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    Approximately how many people participate in the SDR?
    About 44,000 out of 870,000 (approximately 5.1%) science, engineering and health doctorate holders have been asked to participate in the 2010 SDR.

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    How did 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 earning a research doctorate in the United States. You were scientifically and randomly selected from this database to be part of the SDR.

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    Why should I complete the SDR?
    SDR tracks career interests and employment trends for a very important portion of the population-science, engineering, and health doctorate holders. While we cannot interview all 870,000 members of this population, 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 well 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 SDR information is valid and complete.

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    How is the SDR data used?
    According to the National Science Foundation, SDR is the only source of U.S. data on the careers of science, engineering, and health doctoral degree holders. Completing the survey is an easy, convenient way to give back to your educational community and to the public interest.
    • Data from 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.
    • College students use information from SDR to help make decisions about graduate study and about careers-your participation makes the data more useful to these students.
    • Educational institutions use data from 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 SDR to get an overall sense of scientific, engineering, and health resources, and then formulate science and engineering policies in view of these resources-your participation increases the accuracy of the data on which these policy decisions are made.
    • Private industry uses 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.


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    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 SRS website, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics.

    SDR Data in Action includes an extensive list of publications that use SDR data.

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    How do I complete the SDR survey?
    You may complete the 2010 SDR survey in one of three ways: (1) on a paper version of the survey, (2) by telephone with a professional interviewer, or (3) online via the Internet.

    The SDR is being conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago on the behalf of the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. Please contact NORC toll-free at 1-800-685-1663 or send an email to SDR@norc.uchicago.edu. Let us know your preference, and we will be happy to accommodate you.

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    I am now retired. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?
    The study includes people in every employment situation. Learning that you've retired-whether you've retired but have since returned to work part 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 retirees may have needed to return to work, even in fields that are very different than the fields of their doctoral degrees. The only way to track such career decisions and trends is to include all respondents, even those retired individuals who intend to stay retired, in the study. Your participation can help make sure that our information genuinely represents a complex and changing workforce.

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    I do not live or work in the United States. Why do you still need my information in the SDR?
    Scientists and engineers with doctorate 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 reside.

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    Why does the SDR ask about the week of October 1, 2010?
    This survey is conducted over a period of several months. In order to standardize data collection procedures, the National Science Foundation selected this week to assure that everyone who participates will be asked about the same time period. It has no other special significance.

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    How was I selected to participate in the SDR?
    The SDR sample was randomly selected from all those who earned doctoral degrees in science, engineering, and health from institutions within the U.S. Sample members serve as representatives of the entire U.S. trained doctoral population in these fields.

    Upon completion of your doctoral degree, you completed a Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) questionnaire. From within that overall SED population, you were randomly selected to participate in the Survey of Doctorate Recipients. Recent doctorate recipients are added to the overall SDR sample every time the survey is conducted.

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    I participated in the SDR just two years ago. Why do I need to answer essentially the same questions again?
    Because SDR is a longitudinal study-a study of a group over many years-it is critical for SDR to interview the same people over time. Examining results over time will allow researchers to understand more clearly the choices that science, engineering, and health doctorate holders make from the point that a doctorate is attained. The lack of change in an individual's situation over two years, and particularly over longer periods of time, can be just as important analytically as large changes in life situations. The activity of doctorates is especially valuable to study now, due to recent changes in the economy. Since SDR seeks to develop aggregate trend data, your responses will better allow analysts and policy makers to see general directions and tendencies over the long run and also to shed new light on the effects of economic shifts on doctorate holders.

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    Will my answers to the SDR be confidential?
    Definitely. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) maintain the highest standards of confidentiality. Your name and other identifying information, as well as that of all other participants, will be kept strictly confidential by the NSF and NORC as required by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 as amended and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002.

    No information obtained in the course of this study 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. Any violation of your confidentiality is subject to penalties of up to five years in prison and/or as much as a $250,000 fine.

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    How is my privacy protected? What assurances can you make that information I provide to the SDR will remain confidential?
    All information captured in SDR is treated as confidential, protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, and used exclusively for statistical purposes. Participation in 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 study to create statistical and analytical reports. In short, at no point does the National Opinion Research Center or SDR identify individual respondents or individual replies.

    For more information, see Privacy Information.

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    I know you say that all of my information is kept confidential, but, hasn't the Patriot Act changed all of that?
    The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) is not a government agency, but instead is an affiliate of the University of Chicago. While not an educational institution, NORC is a non-profit organization dedicated to conducting high quality social science research in the public interest.

    The National Science Foundation (NSF) goes to great lengths to make sure that it does not maintain any databases that contain personal identifying information for SDR. NSF contracts with outside survey research firms to conduct data collection efforts so that NSF never has personal identifying information on its sample members. The contractor that wins the NSF bid for SDR receives the personal and demographic information necessary to execute the survey from the previous contractor. Thus sample member information is forwarded from survey contractor to survey contractor-never to the NSF. NSF maintains this protocol to honor its confidentiality agreement with sample members.

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

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    I have a disability that makes completing the SDR Web Survey difficult. May I complete the survey in another way?
    Certainly. You may complete the survey by telephone or using a paper version of the survey.

    SDR is conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. Please contact NORC toll-free at 1-800-685-1663 or send an email to SDR@norc.uchicago.edu. Let us know what your preference is, and we will be happy to accommodate you.

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    I do not like to complete surveys via the Internet. May I complete the SDR in another way?
    Certainly. As an alternative, you may complete the 2010 SDR survey either in a paper version or by telephone with a professional interviewer.

    The SDR is being conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago on the behalf of the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. Please contact NORC toll-free at 1-800-685-1663 or send an email to SDR@norc.uchicago.edu. Let us know your preference, and we will be happy to accommodate you.

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    Does SDR also seek to survey scientists and engineers that live abroad?
    Absolutely! Anyone who received his or her doctorate within the United States from one of the 400+ institutions that participate in the Survey of Earned Doctorates is eligible for the SDR, regardless of their current residence.

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    Where may I see the results from prior SDR surveys?
    SDR results and data are published in two notable report series: Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers and Profile of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States. Beyond these biennial reports, the National Science Foundation also publishes particular reports relating to the doctoral work force. These publications are easily available on-line at:

    www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctoratework

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    Is additional information available?
    For additional information about the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, please visit the National Science Foundation web site:

    http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctoratework

    For additional information about the National Opinion Research Center's (NORC) role in the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, or any other topic, please visit the NORC web site:

    www.norc.org/projects/Survey+of+Doctorate+Recipients.htm

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    How do I contact the National Science Foundation?
    If you have further questions about the study, or if you would like information about the survey data, please contact the NSF Project Officer, Lynn M. Milan, via email at lmilan@nsf.gov.

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    How is NORC concerned with the rights or welfare of those who may participate in SDR?
    The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) 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 IRB) to oversee all concerns about human subjects in its research projects. This Board is required to make decisions without regard to any financial concerns that NORC may face.

    If you have questions about your rights as a survey participant, you may call the NORC IRB Administrator toll-free at 866-309-0542.

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    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 is required by law to conduct the SDR, and contacts asking you to participate in the survey are not sales calls. 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.

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    What if my question is not in this list of SDR Frequently Asked Questions?
    SDR is being conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. If you have any further questions about the study, please contact NORC toll-free at 1-800-685-1663 or send an email to SDR@norc.uchicago.edu.

    Alternately, you may reach us via U.S. mail at the following address:
    2010 Survey of Doctorate Recipients
    NORC
    1 North State St., 16th Floor
    Chicago, IL 60602-3305


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