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Teaching, writing and law

Medical and Science Writer

Writes clear, accurate material about science and medicine, from patient leaflets and news stories to clinical trial documents.

Science and medical writers work for medical communications agencies, drug companies, journals, charities and newsrooms, and many work freelance. It suits people who enjoy reading research and explaining it accurately to the people who need it.

Also called Medical writer, Science journalist or Regulatory writer.

At a glance

Way in
Bachelor's degree, often in biomedical science, life sciences, pharmacy and science communication
Pay in the US
$90,390 a year, the medianFor technical writers, 2025
US outlook
Slower than average, 2025-2035
Suits you if
You love science but would rather write about it than run the experiments.

Pay is a guide: it moves with the country, the employer, the sector and the years in the job. Figures from O*NET OnLine (US) and the National Careers Service (UK); see the sources below.

The work

What does a medical and science writer do?

  • Read papers and trial data closely, then turn them into clear text for a chosen reader.
  • Write and edit articles, patient leaflets, slide decks, web pages and conference materials.
  • Prepare regulatory documents such as trial protocols and clinical study reports.
  • Check every claim, number and reference against its source before anything is published.
  • Interview scientists and doctors, and work with editors, designers and medical reviewers.

Where they work

  • Medical communications agencies
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Journals and publishers
  • Health charities
  • Freelance, from home

Skills

The skills a medical and science writer needs

  • Clear writingplain sentences that keep the science accurate
  • Science literacyreading papers, methods and results critically
  • Attention to detailreferences, data and house style
  • Researchfinding and judging reliable sources quickly
  • Adaptabilitywriting for patients, doctors or regulators
  • Time managementmeeting deadlines across several projects at once

Route in

How to become a medical and science writer

  1. Take a degree in a life science, medicine or pharmacy so you understand the science you will write about.
  2. Build a portfolio: write for a student paper, a blog or a charity, and enter science writing competitions.
  3. Apply for trainee or associate writer roles at agencies, or take a master's or PhD first, which many employers value.
  4. Learn the reporting guidelines and style rules of your chosen field, and keep adding to your samples.

Degrees people take

  • Biomedical science
  • Life sciences
  • Pharmacy
  • Science communication

Practise for it

The quizzes and tools that fit

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Next to it

Careers to weigh against it

Sources

Where the facts come from

Written for biofideX from these public sources. The pay figures are theirs, copied as published, last read 2026-10-25.

Requirements differ by country and change over time; check with the body that registers the profession where you will work. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll correct it.

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