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Medical technical writer vs research writer

The differences between medical 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 medical technical writer and a research writer. Additionally, a medical technical writer has an average salary of $74,619, which is higher than the $50,741 average annual salary of a research writer.

The top three skills for a medical technical writer include medical writing, FDA and informed consent. The most important skills for a research writer are research topics, press releases, and editorials.

Medical technical writer vs research writer overview

Medical Technical WriterResearch Writer
Yearly salary$74,619$50,741
Hourly rate$35.87$24.39
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs123,78160,595
Job satisfaction-4.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

Medical technical writer vs research writer salary

Medical technical writers and research writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Medical Technical WriterResearch Writer
Average salary$74,619$50,741
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $104,000Between $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 medical technical writer and research writer education

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

Medical Technical WriterResearch Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of HoustonMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Medical technical writer vs research writer demographics

Here are the differences between medical technical writers' and research writers' demographics:

Medical Technical WriterResearch Writer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 35.4% Female, 64.6%Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.4% 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 medical technical writer and research writer duties and responsibilities

Medical technical writer example responsibilities.

  • Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
  • Create deliverables, and track changes and revision histories in compliance with FDA mandate procedures.
  • Include research, and obtaining information from interviews and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Develop complete design document/storyboard in PowerPoint with suitable animation and audio script.
  • Work on quality assurance software for use in manufacturing and regulatory reporting for FDA regulate cardiovascular products.
  • Perform editing, proofreading, and quality control functions to produce technical training documents and presentations according to specify deadlines.
  • 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

Medical technical writer vs research writer skills

Common medical technical writer skills
  • Medical Writing, 16%
  • FDA, 13%
  • Informed Consent, 10%
  • Adobe Acrobat, 9%
  • Clinical Study Reports, 9%
  • Medical Devices, 8%
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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