Editorial Research Assistants

Any experience writing, conducting research, and editing will be useful for aspiring editorial research assistants. An internship or part-time or summer job at a newspaper or magazine is a good introduction to the editorial research field.

Editorial research assistants are detail oriented and diligent about verifying facts. They are well read across many topics, and know how to find and verify information. They are also clear thinkers and communicators. When they are curious about something, they take action and research the subject. They are not satisfied with not knowing things.

Editorial research assistants must also be patient; they spend hours painstakingly tracking down hard-to-find facts and figures. They must be good not only at identifying problems but also at solving them. The ability to work well with editors and other publishing professionals is also essential in this field.

Today's editorial research assistants use computers, the Internet, and specialized software (such as artificial intelligence–powered writing, editing, and research software) to fact-check content, communicate with editors and writers, and overall to help them do their jobs more quickly and effectively.