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.
Scientific writer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real scientific writer resumes:
- 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.
- Provide patient teaching on diabetes, wind care, pain, and heart disease management.
- Harmonize USP and EP methods.
Scientific writer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Scientific Writers are proficient in IND, NDA, and Abstracts. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Imagination, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Scientific Writers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- IND, 10%
Established several reports that were included into IND submission.
- NDA, 10%
Provide nonclinical NDA Sections 2.6 and 2.4, and clinical NDA Section 2.7 summaries for a diagnostic PET imaging agent.
- Abstracts, 7%
Write and review abstracts, posters, manuscripts, reviews, product monographs, and PowerPoint presentations Publication planning and competitive intelligence
- Regulatory Submissions, 6%
Served as lead writer for regulatory response documents and key components of regulatory submissions.
- Proofreading, 6%
Organized and consolidated information into standard report formats, preparing and proofreading correspondence and documents in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
- Clinical Study Reports, 6%
Evaluated and summarized safety and pharmacokinetic data for clinical study reports.
Most scientific writers use their skills in "ind," "nda," and "abstracts" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential scientific writer responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a scientific writer to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "technical writers create instructions for others to follow." Scientific writers often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "write scientific abstracts/articles detailing the effects of ingredients used in l'oreal paris cosmetic products based on scientific literature. "
Imagination. Another essential skill to perform scientific writer duties is imagination. Scientific writers responsibilities require that "technical writers must think about a procedure or product as if they are someone who does not have technical knowledge." Scientific writers also use imagination in their role according to a real resume snippet: "invent provides project management services, financial oversight and assistance in securing grants for emerging technologies. "
Technical skills. This is an important skill for scientific writers to perform their duties. For an example of how scientific writer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "technical writers must be able to understand complex information." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a scientific writer: "write and create scientific/technical product support materials including abstracts, manuscripts, posters, and powerpoint presentations. ".
Writing skills. A big part of what scientific writers do relies on "writing skills." You can see how essential it is to scientific writer responsibilities because "technical communicators must have excellent writing skills to be able to explain technical information clearly." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical scientific writer tasks: "improved center's reputation at conferences (council of scientific editors, american medical writing association). "
The three companies that hire the most scientific writers are:
- Danaher8 scientific writers jobs
- Houston Methodist6 scientific writers jobs
- Bristol-Myers Squibb5 scientific writers jobs
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Compare different scientific writers
Scientific writer vs. Journalist
A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a scientific writer are more likely to require skills like "ind," "nda," "data interpretation," and "abstracts." On the other hand, a job as a journalist requires skills like "news stories," "excellent interpersonal," "multimedia," and "story development." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Journalists really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $64,488. Comparatively, scientific writers tend to make the most money in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $99,551.journalists tend to reach lower levels of education than scientific writers. In fact, journalists are 8.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 17.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Scientific writer vs. Publisher
A publisher manages the design, editing, and production process with the help of proofreaders, printers, and editors. Publishers make schedules for every stage of the process and work backward from the planned date for publication. They distribute promotional catalogs to libraries and booksellers. They set the commercial and editorial direction for businesses publishing newspapers, digital content, magazines, and books. It is their duty to make decisions on the markets that their firms will serve as well as the type of content that they will give to their audience.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that scientific writer responsibilities requires skills like "nda," "data interpretation," "abstracts," and "proofreading." But a publisher might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "press releases," "customer satisfaction," "strategic thinking," and "client facing."
On average, publishers earn a lower salary than scientific writers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, publishers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $69,908. Whereas scientific writers have higher pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $99,551.In general, publishers achieve lower levels of education than scientific writers. They're 9.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 17.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for scientific writers in the next 3-5 years?
Bradley Shreve
Editor, Tribal College Journal
Scientific writer vs. Editor
An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be. There are several types of editors, from copy editors, books to managing editors, but they have few skills in common, like strong writing skills, good judgment, and leadership abilities to help guide the whole editorial team. Most of them work in the office, but it is quite becoming more regular for them to work remotely.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a scientific writer is likely to be skilled in "ind," "nda," "data interpretation," and "abstracts," while a typical editor is skilled in "web content," "video content," "seo," and "facebook."
Editors earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $62,170. Comparatively, scientific writers have the highest earning potential in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $99,551.When it comes to education, editors tend to earn lower degree levels compared to scientific writers. In fact, they're 9.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 17.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Scientific writer vs. News editor
A News Editor reviews and changes the content of a publication provided by writers and other contributors. They generally work for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
Types of scientific writer
Updated January 8, 2025
