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Contractor-senior technical writer vs research writer

The differences between contractor-senior technical writers and research writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a contractor-senior technical writer and a research writer. Additionally, a contractor-senior technical writer has an average salary of $65,744, which is higher than the $50,741 average annual salary of a research writer.

The top three skills for a contractor-senior technical writer include maintenance procedures, technical manuals and technical documentation. The most important skills for a research writer are research topics, press releases, and editorials.

Contractor-senior technical writer vs research writer overview

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterResearch Writer
Yearly salary$65,744$50,741
Hourly rate$31.61$24.39
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs86,24460,595
Job satisfaction-4.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

Contractor-senior technical writer vs research writer salary

Contractor-senior technical writers and research writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterResearch Writer
Average salary$65,744$50,741
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $88,000Between $32,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City-Brookline, MA
Highest paying state-Virginia
Best paying company-St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between contractor-senior technical writer and research writer education

There are a few differences between a contractor-senior technical writer and a research writer in terms of educational background:

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterResearch Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of HoustonMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Contractor-senior technical writer vs research writer demographics

Here are the differences between contractor-senior technical writers' and research writers' demographics:

Contractor-Senior Technical WriterResearch Writer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 51.3% Female, 48.7%Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between contractor-senior technical writer and research writer duties and responsibilities

Contractor-senior technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage writing projects, including HTML documentation conversions.
  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Develop API documentation for CTI interface.
  • Convert legacy PageMaker guide into PDF format.
  • Provide structured FrameMaker XML technical support as required for BAE product support programs.
  • Create, with SMEs and VP-level personnel, online help for custom-developed video conference software.
  • Show more

Research writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Upload content and photos on Wordpress and create SEO meta descriptions.
  • Recognize by audience as thought leader in NFL coverage and commentary.
  • Assist the editor-in-chief with expanding the team of contributing writers to attract readers.
  • Proofread and spell check written content, review articles, videos, and books regarding the given topic.
  • Research various topics base on clients requests in order to write keyword articles for search engine optimization (SEO).
  • Show more

Contractor-senior technical writer vs research writer skills

Common contractor-senior technical writer skills
  • Maintenance Procedures, 15%
  • Technical Manuals, 8%
  • Technical Documentation, 4%
  • SharePoint, 4%
  • API, 4%
  • Visio, 4%
Common research writer skills
  • Research Topics, 15%
  • Press Releases, 13%
  • Editorials, 8%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Conduct Research, 6%
  • Oral Histories, 4%

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