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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates

A Workshop Summary

Thomas J. Plewes, Rapporteur

Committee on National Statistics

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the steering committee for the workshop were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

Support of the work of the Committee on National Statistics is provided by a consortium of federal agencies through a grant from the National Science Foundation (award number SES-0453930). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

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Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2010). Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Thomas J. Plewes, Rapporteur. Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine


The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.


The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.


The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.


The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.


www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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STEERING COMMITTEE FOR A REVIEW OF CONFIDENTIALITY CRITERIA FOR STATISTICS FROM THE SURVEY OF EARNED DOCTORATES

BARBARA A. BAILAR (Chair), Consultant,

Washington, DC

ROBERT F. BORUCH,

Graduate School of Education and Statistics, University of Pennsylvania

SCOTT HOLAN,

Department of Statistics, University of Missouri–Columbia

WILLIE PEARSON, JR.,

School of History, Technology and Society, Georgia Institute of Technology

ANNE C. PETERSEN,

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

ROBERT SANTOS,

The Urban Institute, Washington, DC

MARK S. SCHNEIDER,

American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC

LATANYA SWEENEY,

School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

THOMAS J. PLEWES, Study Director

MICHAEL J. SIRI, Program Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS 2008–2009

WILLIAM F. EDDY (Chair),

Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University

KATHARINE ABRAHAM,

Department of Economics and Joint Program in Survey Methodology, University of Maryland

ALICIA CARRIQUIRY,

Department of Statistics, Iowa State University

WILLIAM DuMOUCHEL,

Phase Forward, Inc., Waltham, MA

JOHN HALTIWANGER,

Department of Economics, University of Maryland

V. JOSEPH HOTZ,

Department of Economics, Duke University

KAREN KAFADAR,

Department of Statistics, Indiana University

DOUGLAS MASSEY,

Department of Sociology, Princeton University

SALLY MORTON,

Statistics and Epidemiology, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC

JOSEPH NEWHOUSE,

Division of Health Policy Research and Education, Harvard University

SAMUEL H. PRESTON,

Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania

HAL STERN,

Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine

ROGER TOURANGEAU,

Joint Program in Survey Methodology, University of Maryland

ALAN ZASLAVSKY,

Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School

CONSTANCE F. CITRO, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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Acknowledgments

This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop to review confidentiality criteria for the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The workshop was sponsored by NSF and convened by the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT), Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, of the National Research Council (NRC).

We thank the experts in survey methodology, confidentiality and privacy policy, and data masking and suppression techniques and the users of science and engineering human resources statistics who served on the steering committee. They provided invaluable guidance during the course of developing the workshop, in the process of securing expert presentations, and in conducting the workshop. Although the steering committee played a central role in designing and conducting the workshop, it did not actively participate in writing this workshop summary.

The staff of NSF’s Division of Science Resources Statistics played an important role in preparing for and conducting the workshop. As background for the workshop, this staff prepared a substantial paper describing the new disclosure protection strategies that the agency proposed to adopt in publishing future editions of the race, gender, and ethnicity tables for SED. Under the leadership of Lynda Carlson and her deputy, Mary Frase, the division staff went to great lengths to assemble information and present it to the workshop in a concise and useful manner. Mark Fiegener, the survey manager, and Steve Cohen, the division’s chief statistician, were the primary

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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authors of that background paper. Fiegener also served as the primary point of coordination between the steering committee and NSF.

The presentations in the workshop were designed to shed light on various issues involved in selecting appropriate confidentiality criteria for statistics from SED. The task of describing the context for the protection of confidential data in the federal government fell to Brian Harris-Kojetin of the Statistical and Science Policy Office, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, and to Alvan Zarate, a consultant who previously served as the confidentiality officer of the National Center for Health Statistics.

Mark Fiegener and Steve Cohen gave presentations on the options that NSF faced when trying to achieve a balance between protecting the data from SED and making them accessible to the many users of the information. The input of users of the survey data was summarized by Shirley McBay, of the Quality Education for Minorities Network. Jacob Bournazian of the Energy Information Agency summarized emerging models across the federal government for ensuring access while maintaining confidentiality. Jerome Reiter of Duke University discussed the emerging field of disclosure risk assessments. Latanya Sweeney, a member of the steering committee, was also scheduled to discuss disclosure risk but was unable to participate in the workshop.

The steering committee also acknowledges the excellent work of the staff of CNSTAT and the NRC for support in developing and organizing the workshop and this report. Under the direction of Constance Citro, director of CNSTAT, the study director, Thomas Plewes, provided valuable assistance to the steering committee in organizing the meetings and serving as rapporteur for the workshop. He was ably assisted by Michael Siri, also on the staff of CNSTAT.

This workshop summary was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the NRC. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making its report as sound as possible, and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

The panel thanks the following individuals for their review of this report: Barbara A. Bailar, consultant, Washington, DC; Craig Calhoun,

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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Office of the President, Social Science Research Council, Brooklyn, NY; George T. Duncan, Department of Statistics, Emeritus, Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University; Willie Pearson, Jr., School of History, Technology and Society, Georgia Institute of Technology; Kenneth E. Redd, Research and Policy Analysis, National Association of College and University Business Officers, Washington, DC; and Nora Cate Schaeffer, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Eleanor Singer, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Appointed by the NRC, she was responsible for making certain that the independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the author and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates: A Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12797.
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The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) collects data on the number and characteristics of individuals receiving research doctoral degrees from all accredited U.S. institutions. The results of this annual survey are used to assess characteristics and trends in doctorate education and degrees. This information is vital for education and labor force planners and researchers in the federal government and in academia.

To protect the confidentiality of data, new and more stringent procedures were implemented for the 2006 SED data released in 2007. These procedures suppressed many previously published data elements. The organizations and institutions that had previously relied on these data to assess progress in measure of achievement and equality suddenly found themselves without a yardstick with which to measure progress.

Several initiatives were taken to address these concerns, including the workshop summarized in this volume. The goal of the workshop was to address the appropriateness of the decisions that SRS made and to help the agency and data users consider future actions that might permit release of useful data while protecting the confidentiality of the survey responses.

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