FriendFeed
| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Beginner Issues > Topic: Science editing |
Topic: Science editing
  Page 1 of 1   |
|
| Author | Message |
| kiwicat | Posted – 1/14/2005 2:11:37 PM | show profile I was wondering if anyone knew any websites and job boards for science editing positions? Also, how competitive are these positions? Are they as competitive as, say, editorial assistantships in the book/magazine industry? Thanks for your help! |
| FlyGal | Posted – 1/14/2005 8:23:35 PM | show profile Science editing What type of job are you asking about, specifically? If you're talking about an Editor job with one of the top journals (primary scientific literature), these require a PhD and are generally pretty competitive. If you're talking about working for one of the more general circulation science magazines (eg Discover), these are also competitive. If you're talking about scientific books or texts, I believe these also require an advanced degree, and are maybe a bit less tough to break into. The higher profile something is, generally the more competitive it is to get your foot in the door. The most diverse listings for these sorts of ''alternate careers for scientists'' jobs generally appear in Science magazine (www.sciencecareers.org) I think. hope that helps, FlyGal |
| kiwicat | Posted – 1/15/2005 2:54:36 PM | show profile I'm thinking about an editorial position at a science organization (like the EA position at Wolters Kluwer Health Medical Research), or at a general science magazine. Would having a science background give you an edge over applicants who don't have one, or does it not really matter? (I have a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Master's in English.) |
| janbrady | Posted – 1/15/2005 6:03:46 PM | show profile Kiwicat, I think your degrees will definitely give you the leg up when applying for science writing/editing positions. I have a B.S. in psychology and neuroscience and found it helped me a lot in getting jobs at general science/health consumer magazines. Employers liked that I had a clear interest in the material, knew the jargon and how to read studies, etc., but because my audience was the lay reader, I didn't need, say, a Ph.D. Don't know of any job boards specifically for these jobs, though. |
| Marie | Posted – 1/15/2005 8:07:00 PM | show profile Jobs at consumer sciende mags are posted on this site, as well as on other general job boards, and the company's web site. |
| FlyGal | Posted – 1/15/2005 10:13:32 PM | show profile Science editing I agree with JanBrady, that having a bachelor's in a science-related field is helpful in finding these sorts of positions. It shows you have an interest in the topic, and will be versant in the jargon. |
| commawonk | Posted – 1/17/2005 2:02:09 PM | show profile To change the subject a little bit ... I'm a freelance copyeditor with 10 years of consumer-magazine experience. I'd love to break into medical and pharmaceutical copyediting because I hear the pay is great, but every ad I've read recently wants AMA style and ad-agency experience. The first part I can handle since I bought a copy of the AMA Manual of Style and started teaching myself, but how to crack the agencies if you don't already have the experience they're looking for? The consumer titles I used to work for dealt with health and fitness topics—isn't that worth at least a little? |
| AIC | Posted – 1/28/2005 10:41:01 AM | show profile | email poster degrees degrees For those of you mentioning doctorates vs. bachelor's-- what about those of us who were doing a doctorate, had to leave with a master's degree, and didn't formally study English? (Long story...) I have been doing freelance stuff with people like patent lawyers and newsletters, but would like to elbow my way further into the freelance world, and preferably have stuff that is not confidential for my portfolio-- I have over a decade of experience in the research laboratory, most of it when I was doing the elusive Ph.D., so...what is the best way to convince some of these people that I know what I am talking about when I speak science, even if I don't have the catchy letters after my name? I find it rather annoying that it's become this little jump-through hoop, but I am capable and willing. Any ideas on how best to convince? What about who to convince? ------ Scientific Communications Writing, Editing, and Web Content |
| philomena | Posted – 1/28/2005 10:50:01 AM | show profile | email poster Kiwi and AIC -- I'm looking for freelance science book editors. Email me off-board. |
| 1000words | Posted – 1/28/2005 12:00:56 PM | show profile | email poster For what it's worth... I do not have a PhD (I have a Master's), but I used to work as a medical writer for a large, reputable pharmaceutical company. I have 6 publications in peer-reviewed journals and have presented data at national scientific meetings. In other words, the degree is not the *only* way in. I started out as a medical editor at the company and was promoted 8 months later when they recognized my capabilities. A question to ask yourself: Are you interested only in working for the publications directly, or would you consider working on the authors' end? If the latter is a possibility, I might suggest the pharma industry to get your feet wet. Have you joined AMWA (the American Medical Writers Association)? Their website has a job board, and there are always jobs posted for science writers as well as editors. You might also try the Society for Technical Communication (STC). The web addresses are www.amwa.org and www.stc.org, respectively. |
| AIC | Posted – 1/28/2005 1:13:13 PM | show profile 1000words-- tell me more. How did you get in to begin with? Just curious as to how you made the first steps. Did you have pharmaceutical experience? ------ Scientific Communications Writing, Editing, and Web Content |
| Page 1 of 1 |
|
