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Contributing editor vs copy editor

The differences between contributing editors and copy editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a contributing editor and a copy editor. Additionally, a contributing editor has an average salary of $65,452, which is higher than the $62,599 average annual salary of a copy editor.

The top three skills for a contributing editor include web content, edit content and contribute articles. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.

Contributing editor vs copy editor overview

Contributing EditorCopy Editor
Yearly salary$65,452$62,599
Hourly rate$31.47$30.10
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs5,3064,866
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Contributing editor vs copy editor salary

Contributing editors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contributing EditorCopy Editor
Average salary$65,452$62,599
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $113,000Between $39,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-PayPal
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between contributing editor and copy editor education

There are a few differences between a contributing editor and a copy editor in terms of educational background:

Contributing EditorCopy Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Contributing editor vs copy editor demographics

Here are the differences between contributing editors' and copy editors' demographics:

Contributing EditorCopy Editor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 46.6% Female, 53.4%Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between contributing editor and copy editor duties and responsibilities

Contributing editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage social media promotions of Hobotrashcan.com, including facebook, twitter and email outreach.
  • Update website daily, manage Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram accounts.
  • Track raw data to design and improve marketing campaigns and SEO.
  • Compose daily e-newsletter with relevant travel articles and convert to HTML.
  • Maintain high SEO efficiency on articles, and submit articles to the GeekyNews social media sites.
  • Work on the magazine's website revamp and contribute to its social media accounts including Facebook and Instagram.
  • Show more

Copy editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage copy editing and proofreading responsibilities of weekly business newspaper and special supplements.
  • Collaborate with managing editor and editor-in-chief to develop and post news coverage and multimedia projects.
  • Supervise editorial services and manage workload for multiple complex projects offering professional development training for educators via online and classroom delivery.
  • Compile NHL, NBA, NFL, golf and college roundups, and laid out the scoreboard page.
  • Call upon to produce special pages for NHL and NBA previews.
  • Serve as lead copy editor for NASCAR, college football, college basketball and NFL sections.
  • Show more

Contributing editor vs copy editor skills

Common contributing editor skills
  • Web Content, 19%
  • Edit Content, 14%
  • Contribute Articles, 7%
  • Editor-In-Chief, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%
  • Blog Posts, 4%
Common copy editor skills
  • Proofreading, 12%
  • House Style, 8%
  • Digital Publishing, 6%
  • Fact Check, 6%
  • SEO, 5%
  • Web Content, 5%

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