Scientific writer vs grant writer

The differences between scientific writers and grant 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 scientific writer and a grant writer. Additionally, a scientific writer has an average salary of $99,550, which is higher than the $52,719 average annual salary of a grant writer.

The top three skills for a scientific writer include IND, NDA and abstracts. The most important skills for a grant writer are grants management, financial reports, and proposal development.

Scientific writer vs grant writer overview

	Scientific Writer	Grant Writer
Yearly salary	$99,550	$52,719
Hourly rate	$47.86	$25.35
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	15,960	16,708
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a scientific writer do?

Scientific writers are professionals who are responsible for conducting research and writing articles that are related to scientific topics for many different kinds of publications and scientific journals. These writers are required to conduct interviews with scientists and other important people to ensure accurate information about the essays they are writing. They must adapt and comply with in-house style guides as well as perform copy-editing and proofreading duties. Scientific writers must also build up a network of contacts with other professionals in the industry such as press officers, PR executives, and researchers.

What does a grant writer do?

Often working for a non-profit organization, a grant writer specializes in writing application letters for financial grants to foundations, government agencies, and companies. Their responsibilities revolve around maintaining records of data and documentation, finding grant opportunities, participating in devising strategies that benefit the company's growth, crafting correspondence, gathering requirements, and submitting and monitoring grant proposals. Furthermore, a grant writer must have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the organization they work for, including its history, vision, mission, policies, and regulations.

Scientific writer vs grant writer salary

Scientific writers and grant writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scientific Writer	Grant Writer
Average salary	$99,550	$52,719
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $150,000	Between $38,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, VA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Virginia	California
Best paying company	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	Apple
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Government

Differences between scientific writer and grant writer education

There are a few differences between a scientific writer and a grant writer in terms of educational background:

	Scientific Writer	Grant Writer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Northwestern University

Scientific writer vs grant writer demographics

Here are the differences between scientific writers' and grant writers' demographics:

	Scientific Writer	Grant Writer
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%	Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between scientific writer and grant writer duties and responsibilities

Scientific writer example responsibilities.

Manage, and assist in the recruiting activities of, CRO resources preparing regulatory documents on behalf of APGD.
Harmonize USP and EP methods.
Exhibit proficiency in researching, writing, editing, and proofreading.
Create internal LIMS for NIH lab using Drupal, MySQL and git version control.
Organize and consolidate information into standard report formats, preparing and proofreading correspondence and documents in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
Use APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, AMA, and in-house style guides for error-free documents.

Grant writer example responsibilities.

Manage accounting of fix assets, perform monthly bank and account reconciliations, and manage the annual and grant-cycle budget processes.
Organize and manage PowerPoint presentations used for business development and site visits.
Manage SharePoint file organization system and wiki cooperation sites to facilitate cooperation among internal and external proposal response participants.
Monitor recipients for compliance with the FCMP, CFR and OMB guidelines.
Monitor grants that need additional attention or follow up when an institution is not in compliance with the NIH GPS.
Prepare and proofread work for publication.

Scientific writer vs grant writer skills

Common scientific writer skills

IND, 10%
NDA, 10%
Abstracts, 7%
Regulatory Submissions, 6%
Proofreading, 6%
Clinical Study Reports, 6%

Common grant writer skills

Grants Management, 14%
Financial Reports, 7%
Proposal Development, 6%
PI, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Project Management, 5%

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Scientific Writer
Scientific Writer vs Grant Writer

Updated January 8, 2025

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