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The differences between research support specialists and research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research support specialist, becoming a research assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a research support specialist has an average salary of $47,994, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.
The top three skills for a research support specialist include research support, data collection and research projects. The most important skills for a research assistant are patients, lab equipment, and data collection.
| Research Support Specialist | Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $47,994 | $42,896 |
| Hourly rate | $23.07 | $20.62 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 123,353 | 51,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A research support specialist is primarily in charge of performing administrative support and analytical tasks. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing extensive research and analysis to gather necessary data, preparing and processing documentation on behalf of researchers, liaising with internal or external parties, troubleshooting problems, and maintaining records of all transactions. There are also instances when one must conduct studies, prepare manuscripts, develop strategies to optimize operations, and participate in implementing new research methods, all while adhering to the company or institution's policies and regulations.
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.
Research support specialists and research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Support Specialist | Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $47,994 | $42,896 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $70,000 | Between $28,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a research support specialist and a research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Research Support Specialist | Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between research support specialists' and research assistants' demographics:
| Research Support Specialist | Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 12.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |