What Does A Research Assistant Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

Alyssa OmandacCareer, Overview

Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Research Assistants

The primary responsibility of a Research Assistant is to assist the main researcher. The tasks will vary depending on where they work, but they might log data, check facts, proofread, create presentation slides, carry out experiments, and more.

Salary
$38000
Personality


A Research Assistant provides support to a professional who conducts experiments or gathers data and other information to analyze. It is an entry level job, and they work in medical research centers, consulting firms, think tanks, public interest groups, polling organizations, colleges, and more. The specific tasks they need to perform will vary depending on where they work.

Research Assistants usually have a Bachelor’s Degree in the field where they want to work. They help with experiments, collect and log data and other information, prepare graphs and spreadsheets, and other tasks. They work under the supervision of researchers, and they support all of the research activities.

What they do

The primary responsibility of a Research Assistant is to assist the main researcher. The tasks will vary depending on where they work, but they might log data, check facts, proofread, create presentation slides, carry out experiments, and more.

Assist a Researcher

The main responsibility of a Research Assistant is to assist a Researcher. This includes carrying out experiments and research. They also collect and log data from experiments and conduct statistical analyses of the date. They will prepare graphs and spreadsheets to show the results as well. It is important that the Research Assistant has a degree in the field because it involves a lot of technical information.

Gather Information From Print and Online Sources

Another responsibility of a Research Assistant is to gather information from both print and online sources. It is important to have excellent researching skills because your employer will rely on you to find the information needed for the experiments. This is an important skill that you will develop in college.

Proofread Research Documents

Another duty is to proofread and fact check documents that are created from the research. It is important that these documents are accurate, so you need to have a good eye for detail. If you find errors, you will correct them when you edit the documents. You need to make sure that you do a great job with this.

Maintain Lab Equipment and Inventory

Another responsibility of a Research Assistant is to maintain the lab equipment and the inventory. This includes cleaning everything and making sure that everything is functional and organized. It is very important to keep everything organized in the lab, and the Research Assistant will be in charge of this. They will make sure that everything is clean and where it belongs at all times.

What is the job like

Pros

You get to work in a field you enjoy

When you choose to become a Research Assistant, you will work in the field that you are interested in. If you enjoy Biology, you can major in it in school and work in this field when you graduate.

You can build a network of international colleagues

When you work as a Research Assistant, you will be able to work with people all over the world. You may collaborate with people in other countries.

You can further your education

If you are working in a college, you have the opportunity to pursue further education while you are working.

You can have an opportunity to teach

You can have an opportunity to teach when you work as a Research Assistant. This gives you the ability to share your knowledge with students.

Cons

You can be exposed to hazardous substances

Depending on what kind of research you are working on, you might come into contact with hazardous substances.

You need to go to graduate school to advance

You can work as a Research Assistant with an undergraduate degree, but you need to go to graduate school to progress in this career. This is a competitive field.

Where they work

Laboratory
Universities
Independent researchers

Research Assistants usually work in laboratories or offices. They might work at colleges, medical centers, or for independent researchers. They can work out in the field as well if the researcher is conducting research on site. Whether they work in a lab or in the field, they need to keep the supplies and inventory that is being used organized and clean.

How to become one

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

If you want to be a Research Assistant, you need to start by earning your Bachelor’s Degree. You should choose a field that you want to spend your life studying because you will be learning about this subject for many years. You can choose from many different fields, including sciences such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and more. You can also choose fields such as Psychology, Political Science, or Economics. You can choose any field in academics or you might want to work in a medical field. Choose your course of study according to your needs.

Step 2: Apply to Graduate School

When you apply to graduate school, you should also apply to become a Research Assistant in your department. Not only will this benefit your education, but you will also get paid for this job. You can get a partial or full scholarship as well, and you will gain valuable experience. This is a step toward becoming a Research Fellow if you want to become a professor at a university.

Step 3: Apply for a Professional Research Assistant Position

Working in a professional environment can be a different kind of experience. If you want to work as a Research Assistant outside of academia, you might consider this type of job. You can work with a scientist, the government, or an organization. There is room to advance in this career, and you can end up running your own projects.

Step 4: Continue Your Education

If you want to advance in your position, you can continue your education. This will give you the credentials to one day become the head Researcher on a project. You will normally need to earn a PhD to qualify for a position as a Researcher, so you can apply to schools to continue your graduate study. You can continue to work as a Research Assistant until you get a job as a head Researcher.

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Thinker

People with this personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who want to become a Research Assistant are curious, logical, and have excellent critical thinking skills. They pay close attention to details, and they enjoy collecting and analyzing data. They are good communicators and are able to write their ideas in a clear way. They are very organized as well. They need to understand the importance of cleanliness because everything in the lab has to be perfectly clean all of the time. Research Assistants also need to be able to get along with people because there is a lot of collaboration in this job.

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FAQ


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