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Technical writing consultant vs research writer

The differences between technical writing consultants and research 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 technical writing consultant and a research writer. Additionally, a technical writing consultant has an average salary of $82,383, which is higher than the $50,741 average annual salary of a research writer.

The top three skills for a technical writing consultant include framemaker, R and user manuals. The most important skills for a research writer are research topics, press releases, and editorials.

Technical writing consultant vs research writer overview

Technical Writing ConsultantResearch Writer
Yearly salary$82,383$50,741
Hourly rate$39.61$24.39
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs90,10060,595
Job satisfaction-4.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

Technical writing consultant vs research writer salary

Technical writing consultants and research writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical Writing ConsultantResearch Writer
Average salary$82,383$50,741
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $114,000Between $32,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City-Brookline, MA
Highest paying state-Virginia
Best paying company-St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between technical writing consultant and research writer education

There are a few differences between a technical writing consultant and a research writer in terms of educational background:

Technical Writing ConsultantResearch Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeUniversity of HoustonMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Technical writing consultant vs research writer demographics

Here are the differences between technical writing consultants' and research writers' demographics:

Technical Writing ConsultantResearch Writer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 47.9% Female, 52.1%Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%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%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between technical writing consultant and research writer duties and responsibilities

Technical writing consultant example responsibilities.

  • Identify and initiate wholesale computer upgrade to accommodate new CMS while allocating and managing staff resources devote to developing the software.
  • Perform QA testing of the GUI, returning valuable feedback to the design team via the TestTrack defect tracking system.
  • Create accompanying diagrams using Visio.
  • Develop and design business processes utilizing Visio and other tools.
  • Define data interchange requirements, and develop API references and data management requirements in support of telecommunication company acquisition and mergers.
  • Develop sophisticated PowerPoint presentations for cross-departmental meetings.
  • Show more

Research writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Upload content and photos on Wordpress and create SEO meta descriptions.
  • Recognize by audience as thought leader in NFL coverage and commentary.
  • Assist the editor-in-chief with expanding the team of contributing writers to attract readers.
  • Proofread and spell check written content, review articles, videos, and books regarding the given topic.
  • Research various topics base on clients requests in order to write keyword articles for search engine optimization (SEO).
  • Show more

Technical writing consultant vs research writer skills

Common technical writing consultant skills
  • FrameMaker, 8%
  • R, 7%
  • User Manuals, 7%
  • Technical Documentation, 6%
  • Web Site, 5%
  • XML, 5%
Common research writer skills
  • Research Topics, 15%
  • Press Releases, 13%
  • Editorials, 8%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Conduct Research, 6%
  • Oral Histories, 4%

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