They give me opportunities to work with people that I'd never even meet if all I did was laboratory research. Involves editing, too Publishers of science books and journals employ chemists and other scientists as editors. Editors may rely on scientists as reviewers, but editors themselves need a general understanding of the manuscript subject area to edit text for clarity and readability while not changing its meaning. Both Ph.D. chemists, they have been involved with publishing the new edition of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Science of Technology , coordinating the process of identifying hundreds of authors and commissioning articles, interacting with tardy authors, identifying reviewers and overseeing the manuscript review process, advising authors on needed revisions, and editing the revised manuscripts for style and format. They work for private companies, government agencies, and professional societies on specific writing projects.
Employment ends when specific projects are completed.
Some salaried writers and editors do freelance work outside of their full-time jobs. Newspapers and magazines publish articles written by freelancers on science, engineering, medical, and environmental subjects. Many freelancers write for corporate Web sites. Some freelancers edit and review technical articles and documents for publishers and private industry. Science and technical writing also offers many part-time opportunities.