Thesis and Dissertation Advisors -
Marine Science, Oceanography

VALRIE ANN GERARD, M.A., Ph.D.
Content Editor/Writer: Science and Medicine

Scope:  biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, environmental policy, environmental science, evolutionary biology, geography, geology, marine science, mathematical modeling, medicine, oceanography, physiology, veterinary medicine, zoology, and related scientific fields.

Academic Editing/Writing Experience:

• Science and medical editor and writer since 2001.
• Specializes in organization, interpretation, and clear presentation of complex information.
• Helps clients (including non-native English speakers) improve their writing skills for future projects.
• Past and current clients from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Patagonia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, the U.K., the U.S., and Venezuela.
• More than fifty publications and one million dollars worth of successful grant proposals.
• Over thirty years of teaching experience, including scientific writing courses.
• Served as advisor and/or mentor to many graduate and undergraduate students.
• Past experience as associate editor and/or reviewer for over two dozen scientific journals, including Science, and government funding agencies.

Provides fast turnaround.
Helps you submit your dissertation, thesis, proposal, or project on time.

Graduate students:  Many students who fail to finish their degrees quit in the writing phase.  Don’t become a “dissertation dropout”!  

• Get help with the thesis/dissertation proposal stage -  Val provides help with your proposal, including literature review and research plan. 
• Get help with methods, data interpretation and presentation – Val specializes in helping you write clear, concise, and accurate Methods and Results sections, and in designing figures and tables.
• Get help writing the final thesis/dissertation – Val shows you how to organize your material, including your Literature Review and Discussion, and polishes your writing.
• Get help with revisions – Val helps you make changes in response to comments by your advisor and committee members.
• Get help with the defense – Val can help you prepare your presentation, and will provide you with practice sessions if desired.
• Get help with publications – Val will guide you through the manuscript preparation process and help you get your work published.

Undergraduate students:  Most students do not take any writing courses beyond English 101.  Term papers and theses can be major hurdles in completing your degree.  Don’t trip over those hurdles!

• Get help with science projects – Val can help you design your project and interpret the data.
• Get help with term papers – Val provides assistance with term papers, helping you improve the organization and writing.
• Get help with your thesis – Val can help you organize and write an undergraduate thesis.