Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between scientific writers and writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a scientific writer, becoming a writer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientific writer has an average salary of $99,550, which is higher than the $66,143 average annual salary of a writer.
The top three skills for a scientific writer include IND, NDA and abstracts. The most important skills for a writer are work ethic, customer service, and web content.
| Scientific Writer | Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,550 | $66,143 |
| Hourly rate | $47.86 | $31.80 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 15,960 | 13,931 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A writer can have different responsibilities depending on which industry or line of work they are involved. There are writers assigned in a corporate setting, some in journalism, while there are also writers in the entertainment Industry. Although they focus on varying types of writing, they all function to inform. Among the typical duties of writers involve producing content within allotted time or deadline, gather information and verify to ensure accuracy, proofread, and undergo review and revisions.
Scientific writers and writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Writer | Writer | |
| Average salary | $99,550 | $66,143 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $150,000 | Between $40,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, VA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a scientific writer and a writer in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Writer | Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Biology | English |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between scientific writers' and writers' demographics:
| Scientific Writer | Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8% |
| 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, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 16% |