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The differences between engineering 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 an engineering technical writer and a research writer. Additionally, an engineering technical writer has an average salary of $64,966, which is higher than the $50,741 average annual salary of a research writer.
The top three skills for an engineering technical writer include API, technical documentation and java. The most important skills for a research writer are research topics, press releases, and editorials.
| Engineering Technical Writer | Research Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,966 | $50,741 |
| Hourly rate | $31.23 | $24.39 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 128,393 | 60,595 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An engineering technical writer specializes in producing engineering reports and documentation. They primarily communicate and coordinate with engineering teams to gather and analyze different forms of data, using the findings as a basis for writing materials. They may also liaise with clients, identifying the documents that they need, and submitting them to them while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when an engineering technical writer must develop presentations and graphs, presenting reports to clients or company officials.
Research writers are professionals who conduct extensive research by taking complex information and then explaining it in lay terminology. These writers are required to conduct extensive research on various topics based on the requests of their clients to write keyword articles for search engine optimization (SEO). They must work with a wide variety of clients who specialize in web content to complete strategic research and content creation projects. Research writers must also manage research projects for companies, local and overseas.
Engineering technical writers and research writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Technical Writer | Research Writer | |
| Average salary | $64,966 | $50,741 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $89,000 | Between $32,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Brookline, MA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Meta | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an engineering technical writer and a research writer in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Technical Writer | Research Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | English |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between engineering technical writers' and research writers' demographics:
| Engineering Technical Writer | Research Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0% | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 71.9% 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 Percentage | 11% | 11% |