Scientific Editor
Impact: Knowledge creation, Quality assurance
Ensures the clarity, accuracy, and integrity of scientific publications by reviewing, editing, and refining manuscripts for journals, books, or other media. Collaborates with authors to enhance the communication of complex research findings.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Solo / 40% Team
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- Mostly Remote
- Typical work hours
- 40-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $85,000
- Entry-level
- $55,000 - $75,000
- Senior
- $110,000 - $140,000
- Growth by 2033
- 4% (as fast as average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 60-80% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $30,000 - $60,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Scientific Writing
- Copyediting
- Proofreading
- Manuscript Review
- Subject Matter Expertise
- Style Guide Adherence
- Publishing Software
Soft skills
- Attention to Detail
- Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Time Management
- Collaboration
- Problem Solving
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 4-6 years
- Years to senior
- 8-12 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Assistant Editor
- Associate Editor
- Senior Editor
- Managing Editor
- Editor-in-Chief
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 25% to Some tasks like basic proofreading and grammar checks can be automated, but critical evaluation and nuanced feedback require human judgment.
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 4.2/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.8/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High