About Laura Monroe, PhD

meet your editor and coach

Expert Editing and Personalized Support for Your Academic and Professional Journey

I’m Dr. Laura Monroe, founder of The Thesis Genius Co and a specialist in editing for multilingual writers, first-generation students, and marginalized scholars. I geniunely love what I do! I provide compassionate, expert editing and coaching to help doctoral students, academic writers, and professionals finish their major writing projects. You don’t have to do this alone; I’m here to guide you every step of the way.

Over the years, I’ve worked as a university professor, ESL instructor, university administrator, federal grant manager, and instructional designer. Even with those varied roles, I always come back to editing. It’s the work I enjoy the most, and I’m grateful every day that I get to do it full time. There's something about catching the misplaced comma or citation error that brings an odd yet real sense of joy!

I specialize in providing compassionate, expert support for academic writers at every stage of their journey.

I hold a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Central Florida. Since 1989, I have taught English as a Foreign, Second, and Additional Language to both children and adults, as well as TESOL methodology and applied linguistics courses for future teachers. This experience has helped me understand the unique challenges that non-native English speakers and speakers of non-standard English dialects face when writing academic papers.

In addition to my teaching background, I have more than 30 years of experience editing academic writing. As a former master’s thesis advisor at a private university, I coached over 400 graduate students through the thesis process and edited their work to meet rigorous academic standards. Since then, I have edited over 1,800 Ph.D., Ed.D., and DNP dissertations as well as master’s theses across a wide range of disciplines.

Today, editing and coaching are my full-time focus after more than 20 years in university-level teaching and administration. I now provide professional editing for dissertations, theses, journal manuscripts, websites, academic books, organizational documents, and more.

In addition to academic editing, I am the managing editor of The Journal of English Learner Education. I have also written, ghostwritten, and edited ESL textbooks for students, practical methodology books for instructors, and indexed numerous academic texts.

I have editing experience in many fields, including:

Music
Engineering
Psychology
Fine Arts (MFA/BFA)
Finance, MBA, and Accounting
Education
Languages and Linguistics
Nursing and Health Sciences
Criminal Justice
Marriage and Family Counseling
Gaming and Game Development
Professional Sports Management
Ecological and Preservation Studies
And many more specialized areas

My own dissertation explored university faculty perceptions of native and non-native English-speaking students' academic writing errors and plagiarism. Because of this background, I not only understand the dissertation process firsthand, but I also know exactly what faculty committees expect in terms of writing quality, citation compliance, and scholarly language/tone.

Since 2002, I have led APA and research documentation workshops for students, editors, and faculty. I am an expert in APA 7 formatting but also provide editing in MLA, AMA, CMoS, and Harvard styles.

Editing your work is not something I approach casually. I take the time to provide careful, detailed support, balancing technical precision with a sincere investment in your success, both academically and personally. Your mental health, your writing, and your progress matter deeply to me.

Specialized Support for Diverse Writers

Throughout my career, I have specialized in supporting non-native English speakers, first-generation college students, and writers from historically marginalized communities. I understand the additional challenges these students often face, from navigating academic language expectations to overcoming systemic barriers, and I tailor my editing and coaching services to meet their unique needs with respect and encouragement.

Degrees Earned

Ph.D. in Education – TESOL Specialization
University of Central Florida
Dissertation: Post-Secondary Faculty Treatment of Non-Native English-Speaking Student Writing Errors in Academic Subject Courses
M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
University of Central Florida
B.A. in Secondary English Education, Minor in French Education
University of South Florida

University-Specific Dissertation, Thesis, and Professional Editing

Here is a sampling of universities, organizations, and businesses whose students and professionals have utilized my editing services. I have provided editing services to students, faculty, researchers, business leaders, and nonprofit professionals from a wide range of universities, government agencies, and private organizations.