Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research assistants and research coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a research assistant and a research coordinator. Additionally, a research coordinator has an average salary of $48,974, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.
The top three skills for a research assistant include patients, lab equipment and data collection. The most important skills for a research coordinator are patients, informed consent, and data collection.
| Research Assistant | Research Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $42,896 | $48,974 |
| Hourly rate | $20.62 | $23.55 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 51,080 | 65,406 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Research assistants give support to researchers or other professionals who need assistance as they conduct experiments, studies, or other research projects. Research assistants help in conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews under the supervision of the primary researcher. They also work on research activities such as literature reviews, collect data, assist in interpreting results, prepare designs or visuals for the presentation of the results, and even ensure that all the tools and documentation related to the study are properly organized. They also assist in fact-checking the output and ensure that the data presented are accurate. Research assistants usually possess an academic background that is related to the main research topic.
A research coordinator is responsible for assisting the development of research data from clinical trials and laboratory investigations under the supervision of a lead researcher or a research supervisor. In some cases, research coordinators conduct field investigations and analyze existing research materials upon understanding the scope and limitations of the study. They enter their findings and useful resources on the research database for reference to the research team. A research coordinator must have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, especially on gathering data and coordinating with other researchers for the progress and updates of the study.
Research assistants and research coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Assistant | Research Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $42,896 | $48,974 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $64,000 | Between $35,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | Bothell, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | BNP Paribas |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a research assistant and a research coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Research Assistant | Research Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research assistants' and research coordinators' demographics:
| Research Assistant | Research Coordinator | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% | Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 10.2% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |