Research editors double-check factual information in manuscripts, find additional information to back up written material, write and edit, and conduct new research. Strong writing and editing skills are required to work as a research editor for a consumer or trade magazine or a book publisher. A good way to get a job as a research editor is to gain experience editing and conducting research for high school and university publications. Interning in this field is a great way to gain experience.
The majority of research editors work for magazines, book publishers, medical and scientific journals, and other publications and organizations, both in print and online. The research editor may do all of the fact checking themselves or supervise a team of fact checkers or assistant research editors, depending on the size of the publication. Smaller publications are less likely to have formal research editors. Instead, lower-level editors are in charge of this task.
A college degree in journalism, English, mass media, communications, or a related field is usually required to become a research editor, as it is for other editorial professions. Research editors working for scientific and medical journals publishing original research are an exception. Research editors in these fields are often highly educated experts in their fields of publication, with strong communication skills that make them a good fit for working in an editorial field, rather than journalists.
However, the most common path to becoming a research editor is to work in a lower-level editorial position or as a writer. Editorial assistants, assistant editors, and fact checkers are common starting positions. When writers who are accustomed to conducting research when writing articles transition to the editorial side, they may discover that research editing is a good fit. When it comes to becoming a research editor, strong curiosity and interest in the subject matter of the publication as well as the world in general are essential.
Research editors can be employed by publications or work as freelancers. Finding work after obtaining the necessary editorial education and experience entails networking and scouring classified ads for open positions. Building a large network of editorial contacts can lead to a job as a research editor for freelancers. Frequently, freelancers begin by doing fact-checking work. Freelancer job boards may also have information about research work.
Photo editing is another research editing position that is frequently performed by freelancers. Photo research editors locate photographs and images for books and publications, as well as obtain the necessary permissions for their use. They also choose which images will be used in the final product.