You'll usually need a degree qualification in a subject like:

• science
• computing
• journalism
• engineering
• healthcare
• communications
• modern languages and translation

You can also do technical or science communication and writing courses at postgraduate level.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

You can apply to companies directly. Employers will expect you to have in-depth industry knowledge and experience of writing and editing for a target audience.

You'll need to show you can research and interpret complex information and communicate it clearly. You'll also need to know about:

• content planning and strategy
• writing to a brand style or other guidelines
• user behaviour - how people read and absorb information
• project management

You can also apply for jobs advertised through agencies that recruit and place technical authors.

You may be able to find work after doing specialised training courses in:

• content planning
• writing styles
• quality assurance
• costing
• project management

The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators has details of course providers.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a technical author from the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators. The Association of British Science Writers also has information on working as a science journalist.

You'll need:

• knowledge of English language
• excellent written communication skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• knowledge of media production and communication
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• administration skills
• the ability to work well with others
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

As a technical author, you could:

• research, write and edit complex information for a target audience
• produce new documents like user guides and maintenance manuals
• update or rewrite existing material
• commission photographs or illustrations
• test what you've written with content users and refine it
• create multi-channel content for websites, e-learning platforms and podcasts
• work with translators to convert technical content into English from other languages

You could work in an office or from home.