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The differences between medical editors and 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 medical editor and an editor. Additionally, a medical editor has an average salary of $59,482, which is higher than the $52,107 average annual salary of an editor.
The top three skills for a medical editor include proofreading, style guides and FDA. The most important skills for an editor are web content, video content, and SEO.
| Medical Editor | Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $59,482 | $52,107 |
| Hourly rate | $28.60 | $25.05 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 55,508 | 15,115 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Medical editors are professionals who are responsible for assisting medical writers by editing their scientific writings to make them clear and precise for their audience. These editors are required to review and edit articles and medical education materials to ensure that they observe quality writing style and proper grammar. They must provide copyediting and substantive editing for many scholarly medical articles. Medical editors must also edit the safety documentation on all drugs and clinical trials so that they can provide information to patients about treatment options.
An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be. There are several types of editors, from copy editors, books to managing editors, but they have few skills in common, like strong writing skills, good judgment, and leadership abilities to help guide the whole editorial team. Most of them work in the office, but it is quite becoming more regular for them to work remotely.
Medical editors and editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Editor | Editor | |
| Average salary | $59,482 | $52,107 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $98,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a medical editor and an editor in terms of educational background:
| Medical Editor | Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between medical editors' and editors' demographics:
| Medical Editor | Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.8% Female, 78.2% | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.9% 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 Percentage | 12% | 12% |