Roles of monjo hakase were mainly teaching and conducting tests at Daigaku-ryo, but they sometimes included giving lectures to emperors, regents and chancellors, and Court nobles, and writing, on their requests, Chinese-style poems, reports on history, application letters for promotion, etc.
文章博士は大学寮における教授・試験などの業務の他に、天皇や摂関、公卿の侍読を務めたり、彼らの依頼を受けて漢詩を作成したり、紀伝勘文や申文などの文章を執筆することがあった。