What does a scientific publications editor do?
Scientific publications editor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real scientific publications editor resumes:
- Coordinate reviews and manage nonclinical document inventories and timelines.
- Coordinate reviews and edit nonclinical documentation for regulatory submission to FDA.
- Assist with proofreading as necessary.
- Edit chemical descriptions, scientific chapters, and articles for several USP publications.
- Follow up on article reports to track oldest papers in copyediting and proofreading stages.
- Align ICDs with protocol information and fulfill all FDA, HIPPA, and NCI regulations.
- Perform high-quality, scientific editing of biomedical journal manuscripts.
- Suggest improvements to future USP editorial style; assist support staff in improving clarity of written communications.
- Edit nonclinical protocols, reports, and regulatory summary document sections and coordinate signatory reviews for these documents.
- Handle the encyclopedia's coverage of economics, education, government, history, law, political science, and sociology.
Scientific publications editor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Scientific Publications Editors are proficient in Peer Review, Scientific Research, and Editor-In-Chief. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Good judgment, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Scientific Publications Editors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Peer Review, 25%
Edit and format peer review articles and conference presentations for physiologists and investigators
- Scientific Research, 21%
Edited scientific research manuscripts Wrote feature articles about research projects SOFTWARE MS Word, Excel, Power Point
- Editor-In-Chief, 10%
Communicated with editor-in-chief regularly and shared important information with writers Staff Writer, Style and Beauty.
- Immunology, 6%
Edited scientific and medical papers submitted for publication in journals such as AIDS, Immunology, Industrial and Applied Microbiology journals.
- Proofreading, 5%
Followed up on article reports to track oldest papers in copyediting and proofreading stages.
- Public Health, 4%
Formatted manuscripts for publication to public health, psychological, and substanceabuse journals Designed posters and figures for publication and poster presentations
Most scientific publications editors use their skills in "peer review," "scientific research," and "editor-in-chief" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential scientific publications editor responsibilities here:
Creativity. One of the key soft skills for a scientific publications editor to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what scientific publications editors do because "editors must be imaginative, curious, and knowledgeable in a broad range of topics." Additionally, a scientific publications editor resume shows how scientific publications editors use creativity: "coordinated reviews and managed nonclinical document inventories and timelines. "
Good judgment. Another essential skill to perform scientific publications editor duties is good judgment. Scientific publications editors responsibilities require that "editors decide whether certain stories are ethical and whether there is enough evidence to publish them." Scientific publications editors also use good judgment in their role according to a real resume snippet: "tracked page view and newsletter statistics to gauge reader interest in content and develop more informed editorial judgment. "
Detail oriented. scientific publications editors are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to scientific publications editor responsibilities, because "editors must be meticulous to ensure that material is error free and matches the style of a publication." A scientific publications editor resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "edited business-oriented textbooks and other course components for an international distance-learning business college. "
Writing skills. For certain scientific publications editor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "writing skills." The day-to-day duties of a scientific publications editor rely on this skill, as "editors ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what scientific publications editors do: "collaborated with chairman of board of directors, national space biomedical research institute (nsbri) in writing of executive summary. "
The three companies that hire the most scientific publications editors are:
- RELX4 scientific publications editors jobs
- Care New England Health System2 scientific publications editors jobs
- RSNA Radiological Society of North America
2 scientific publications editors jobs
Compare different scientific publications editors
Scientific publications editor vs. Editing internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial department of an organization with publishing various media and digital content. Editorial interns shadow tenured editorial staff on researching stories, validating information, writing captivating articles, interviewing target audiences, and screening submitted manuscripts. They also assist in planning promotional strategies and marketing campaigns, such as monitoring press releases, posting on social media platforms, and developing marketing materials. An editorial intern must have excellent organizational skills, most importantly, a fast-learner to understand complex tasks and perform assigned duties under minimal supervision.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between scientific publications editors and editing internship. For instance, scientific publications editor responsibilities require skills such as "peer review," "scientific research," "molecular biology," and "immunology." Whereas a editing internship is skilled in "video footage," "adobe photoshop," "photography," and "press releases." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, editing interns reach lower levels of education than scientific publications editors. Editing interns are 8.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 18.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Scientific publications editor vs. Editorial internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, scientific publications editor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "peer review," "scientific research," "molecular biology," and "immunology." Meanwhile, an editorial internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "fact-check," "editorial intern," "web content," and "twitter." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Editorial interns tend to reach lower levels of education than scientific publications editors. In fact, they're 8.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 18.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for scientific publications editors in the next 3-5 years?
Bradley Shreve
Editor, Tribal College Journal
Scientific publications editor vs. Editor, freelance
An Editor, Freelance is responsible for reading content and correcting for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They work with writers to help their ideas and stories succeed.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, scientific publications editors are more likely to have skills like "peer review," "scientific research," "editor-in-chief," and "molecular biology." But a editor, freelance is more likely to have skills like "music videos," "web content," "fiction," and "track changes."
When it comes to education, editors, freelance tend to earn similar degree levels compared to scientific publications editors. In fact, they're 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 16.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Scientific publications editor vs. Editor in chief
Types of scientific publications editor
Updated January 8, 2025
