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Science editor vs technical editor

The differences between science editors and technical 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 science editor and a technical editor. Additionally, a science editor has an average salary of $62,220, which is higher than the $61,717 average annual salary of a technical editor.

The top three skills for a science editor include SEO, chemistry and proofread. The most important skills for a technical editor are powerpoint, english language, and proofreading.

Science editor vs technical editor overview

Science EditorTechnical Editor
Yearly salary$62,220$61,717
Hourly rate$29.91$29.67
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs9,10378,423
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Science editor vs technical editor salary

Science editors and technical editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Science EditorTechnical Editor
Average salary$62,220$61,717
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $108,000Between $47,000 And $80,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYOakland, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkConnecticut
Best paying companyThe Washington PostApple
Best paying industryGovernmentTechnology

Differences between science editor and technical editor education

There are a few differences between a science editor and a technical editor in terms of educational background:

Science EditorTechnical Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorBiologyEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Science editor vs technical editor demographics

Here are the differences between science editors' and technical editors' demographics:

Science EditorTechnical Editor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 40.3% Female, 59.7%Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.6% 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, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between science editor and technical editor duties and responsibilities

Science editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage editorial team to create secondary-education textbooks.
  • Participate in monthly meetings with editorial staff, editor-in-chief, and president to generate compelling story ideas.
  • Analyze FrameMaker source document and provide feedback to XML architects to improve accuracy of conversion.

Technical editor example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Train course developers in advance features of FrameMaker and PowerPoint.
  • Remove PDF security from each document.
  • Update PDF variables for online help.
  • Research science, military, and historical-relate topics for DOD.
  • Create or obtain all necessary screen shots using SnagIt and Photoshop.
  • Show more

Science editor vs technical editor skills

Common science editor skills
  • SEO, 27%
  • Chemistry, 20%
  • Proofread, 16%
  • House Style, 8%
  • Writing Articles, 8%
  • Mathematics, 7%
Common technical editor skills
  • PowerPoint, 16%
  • English Language, 11%
  • Proofreading, 6%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 5%
  • Training Materials, 5%
  • XML, 4%

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