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The differences between scientific writers and technical 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 technical writer. Additionally, a scientific writer has an average salary of $99,550, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.
The top three skills for a scientific writer include IND, NDA and abstracts. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Scientific Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,550 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $47.86 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,960 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
Scientific writers and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $99,550 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $150,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, VA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a scientific writer and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Biology | English |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between scientific writers' and technical writers' demographics:
| Scientific Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| 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, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |