The Work

  • Specialization in assisting graduate students and faculty at both online and campus universities.

  • Course papers, master’s theses, dissertation proposals, and the full dissertations, as well as articles, presentations, and books after the degree.

  • Extensive experience with style guides, requirements, rubrics of many universities.

  • Individualized coaching and guidance in every aspect of the work. Detailed suggestions, format editing, substantive and developmental editing.

  • Emotional/psychological/spiritual support (as requested) at every stage and level.

  • For dissertations: assistance with topic selection and approach, prospectus, all chapters, prefatory pages, references, appendices; IRB application; proposal and final defense preparation, as applicable, with PowerPoint slides and scripts.

  • For scholarly articles: line editing, content and critical thinking suggestions, research, and suggestions on  publication venues.

  • Data analysis: advice, interpretation, communication as requested with statisticians.

  • Services are specific to each client and completely confidential.

My Goals for You

  • To help you produce the best scholarly work possible to successful completion.

  • To obtain final approvals of your work by university committees.

  • To enable you to use the dissertation as the basis of professional scholarship and advancement.

Methods and Fees

  • By phone, email, visits as applicable and convenient.

  • All services are private, confidential, highly individualized, and of a dedicated and close nature. I do not subcontract.

  • Fees are individualized based on the nature, scope, size, timeline of project.

Testimonies from Doctoral Candidates

I feel very fortunate to be taking my journey with you. It is not simply your skills that I am thankful for—it is your ability to affirm while lifting me to the next level.  –R. D., Indiana

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I am honored to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Dr. Noelle Sterne for the remarkable graduate coaching services she provided during my dissertation.  With much attention to details and timely feedback, Dr. Sterne helped me reach my academic goal successfully.

Dr. Sterne never once faltered guiding me through this rigorous process.  Numerous revisions culminated in a pristine final draft, and her prudent counsel, useful tips, and meaningful feedback allowed me to polish my dissertation and defend it efficaciously.  Not only is Dr. Sterne a seasoned pedagogue, but her unparalleled ability to connect all the dots through detailed runs of edit resulted in a cohesive dissertation, which won the praise of my committee members and deans.

Owing to Dr. Sterne’s holistic coaching, I was able to finally reach my life-long dream.  I am extremely grateful to her for helping me fine-tune my dissertation and for allowing me to join the ranks of scholars who, like Dr. Sterne, value academic excellence. –A.C.G., Florida

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Dr. Noelle Sterne knows me very well. We have worked closely the last year as she coached me and edited my work. Before I went to her, I had spent a year and wrote a 150-page dissertation. My committee basically told me to throw it in the trash and start over.

Please keep in mind that I am a 4.0 student. Most of my teachers and peer editors had made comments that I was an excellent writer. I had also received specific guidelines from the Director of Research for writing a dissertation. I had done my best and it did not meet the expectations of my committee. I did not know what else I could do to make it better.

[Starting with Chapters 1, 2, and 3] At first we began working on my problem statement, purpose, and research question. My first attempt was based on a faulty foundation. Dr. Sterne helped me make it stronger. Then we started in on the dissertation itself. First, we worked on Chapter 1. I would submit something. She would say things like, “This looks good.”, “Tell me more about….”, “Why don’t you put this over here and that over there.” We would schedule periodic phone calls where I was able to talk about what I wanted to do. Sometimes she would teach me a skill I needed to work on. All along, she was editing my writing.

[After working together for several months] When I sent it to my committee, they were impressed . . . very impressed. . . . By this time, the quality of my dissertation was such that it easily passed through both of these hoops and I was able to conduct my research.

[Chapters 4 and 5] Dr. Sterne was working with me along the way. When I got to the point where I could send the drafts to my chair, he was impressed, made a few recommendations, and sent it on to my second committee member. She was the one who had told me earlier to throw the whole thing in the trash and start over. This time she literally had no recommendations. Later she told me it was one of the best she had ever seen.

[After oral defense] Then things flew in an uncommonly fast manner. In less than a week, the final Dean’s review passed it, with the comment that I had addressed all the necessary items. Then it went to the final stylistic review. My chair had told me about another student of his who had spent 2 months at this stage. I could not believe it when, 26 hours after submission of my final dissertation, I got information that it had been approved.

I share my story here so that you have a better idea of what I mean when I say Dr. Sterne got me from where I was to where I needed to be. I would like to believe that I COULD have done it without her, but I am pretty certain that it would have taken me longer (years) to have done it on my own.  –K. J., Texas

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Over these many months, Dr. Sterne, you have become far more than simply my dissertation editor. I have relied on your experience and wisdom for much more than APA style and editing! This journey would be so much less fulfilling without your presence every step of the way!

I am so grateful for our work together. I cannot imagine taking this road alone. Thank you, Dr. Sterne. And here is to many, many triumphs in the future.  –K. M., North Carolina

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You do such an awesome job and work with a spirit of excellence and never take shortcuts.  -J. K., Florida

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I sought a mentor coach when I started [the doctoral] program. I was fortunate. I chose an editor who was ethical, competent, hard working, and had a genuine interest in preparing me for the dissertation. Dr. Sterne did more than edit. She held me accountable for each and every suggested improvement in my papers. To her, a 2-point assignment was just as important as a 15% course paper.

She helped me consider ways to manage my school-work conflict and periodic fatigue states, which were and remain considerable. She helped me begin to find my own voice and assured me that all students have the capacity to improve.

Her attention and demands were much more rigorous than any teacher/instructor I had at formal learning institutions. She raised the bar on my achievement expectations.

Was she paid? Yes. Was it worth it? More than you will ever know. Through her tutelage and periodic contacts to determine if I am still improving, I continue to try to live up to her expectations and “walk in the light.”  –C. T., Ohio

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It is with great pleasure that I am able to write a letter of recommendation for Dr. Noelle Sterne, whom I worked with professionally during the editing process as I completed my dissertation.

I found Dr. Sterne to be supportive on a variety of issues. She helped me clarify my meaning at several junctures during the final edits and her style was easy to work with during a stressful time. She clearly identified early on in the process the help I needed to complete a quality dissertation. I was able to make an informed decision about the role I felt she could play to be the most helpful. When the edited copies were returned to me, she provided a checklist to guide me to complete the last steps accurately.

Given my experience with her as my editor, I have already referred her to other doctoral students for consideration. I can recommend her to anyone who needs basic editing or more advanced rephrasing and writing assistance.  –R.D., Florida

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Thanks! Amazing and outstanding! I appreciate it! I am so glad we are working together and quite impressed. Now I feel hope again. The sections edited specifically with methods and hypotheses were INCREDIBLE. This exceeds my expectations.  –A. G., New York

Contact Noelle

Email: graduatestudiescoach@yahoo.com
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