Editing science material is similar to editing any other type of material in that it requires the same basic writing, editing, and language skills. A bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university is usually required. It could be in one of the more traditional majors for editors, such as journalism or communications, technical writing and editing, or a scientific or related field. Many people who work in the field of science editing have advanced degrees in science. To work as a science editor, you must be either an editor with a science background or aptitude, or a scientist or engineer with strong editing skills.
Science editors can work as part of a team or as freelancers in a variety of industries. Many of them work for science or nature magazines. Others work as editors for general interest publications that occasionally publish science-related articles.
Science editors and academic and trade book publishers. Many science editors work for scientific journals and companies that produce scientific and technical products, editing highly technical research articles. If you want to work as a science editor, you should focus on publications and companies that produce scientific content.
Climbing the editorial ladder to become a science editor, as with other editing positions, is common. An editorial assistant or assistant editor who wants to become a science editor at a magazine might start as an editorial assistant or assistant editor and work their way up from there. A future science editor could start as a magazine or book writer and work his or her way up to become a science editor.
Depending on the organization, science editors may come from the engineering and scientific ranks or from more traditional editing backgrounds. In technical journals, the same is true. Depending on the journal and its requirements, the editor might be a scientist or an editor with a strong interest in science. In any case, the requisite editing skills and an interest and understanding of scientific subjects are necessary if you want to become a science editor.
Science editors must have strong analytical skills in order to spot inconsistencies in text. It is frequently necessary to be able to comprehend technical jargon and complex ideas. Strong communication skills are helpful when explaining editing changes to scientists, engineers, and others who are often highly educated. Having the focus and patience to review numbers and other data that appear in charts, graphs and listings is helpful.