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Lisa McGrath

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Associate Professor Lisa McGrath PhD, MA, BA(hons), PGCE, SFHEA

Associate Professor in Educational Linguistics

Summary

My main areas of expertise are academic writing and English for Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Publication Purposes (ERPP). I teach on modules on the MA Education, MA TESOL, and the Doctorate in Education. I created and lead the SIoE "Writing (better) for international publication" course for faculty, and design and deliver writing workshops for doctoral students. I supervise doctoral students researching various topics in Education. I have published widely in the field of academic writing, in journals such as Applied Linguistics, Journal of Second Language Writing, TESOL Quarterly and English for Specific Purposes, Teaching in Higher Education and Higher Education.

About

I obtained my PhD from Stockholm University. At the time, my research focused on textual and contextual facets of writing for international publication and genre pedagogy. In particular, I was (and continue to be) interested in connections between the social and epistemological dimensions of disciplines, and the choices academic writers make in terms of textual features, genre and language.
 
My research interests intersect with my teaching. For instance, I am interested in L2 writing task design and am editing a special issue on the topic for the Journal of Second Language Writing. My recent research has also combined theories of genre and metacognition in both academic writing and continuing professional development contexts. I have an ongoing interest in supporting doctoral students' writing development and am involved in collaborations and professional networks dedicated to the topic.
 
My interest in teaching writing for publication has led to opportunities to deliver training both at Sheffield Hallam and more widely. For example, I have provided writing for publication consultancy for scholars at the Swedish Defence University and have delivered numerous writing for publication workshops, most recently at the University of Heraklion. I sit on the BALEAP research and publication sub-committee.
 
I served as associate editor for the Journal of English for Academic Purposes and am now a member of the editorial board. I have reviewed for numerous journals such as Applied Linguistics, Journal of Second Language Writing, and English for Specific Purposes. I have been an invited scholar at Chalmers University in Gothenburg and will shortly visit Marsaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.
 
In addition to teaching and research, I am editor of the Sheffield Institute of Education blog and deputy director of the White Rose Doctoral Partnership (Education, Childhood and Youth pathway).

Teaching

Department of Education, Childhood and Inclusion

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Education, TESOL

MA Education
MA TESOL
Doctorate in Education

MA Education: Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Project
MA TESOL: Analysing Language; English for Specific Purposes
EdD: Developing the Literature Review; Data Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation

Ï㽶ÊÓƵ

I am currently involved with in following projects:
Multi-genre pedagogy (in collaboration with Professor Raffaella Negretti and Christine Feak)
Academic writing and disciplinary grading criteria (in collaboration with Dr Helen Donaghue)

Publications

Journal articles

McGrath, L., Donaghue, H., & Negretti, R. (2023). . Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 17 (1).

McGrath, L., Donaghue, H., & Negretti, R. (2023). . Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 17 (1).

McGrath, L., & Negretti, R. (2023). . Journal of Second Language Writing, 62.

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2022). . Iberica, 43, 7-26.

Samatar, A., Madriaga, M., & McGrath, L. (2021). . British Journal of Sociology of Education.

Mezek, S., McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Berggren, J. (2021). . TESOL Quarterly.

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2020). . English for Specific Purposes, 60, 26-39.

Kaufhold, K., & McGrath, L. (2019). . Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 40.

McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Nicholls, K. (2019). . Higher Education.

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2018). . Journal of Second Language Writing, 40, 12-31.

McGrath, L., & Kaufhold, K. (2016). . Teaching in Higher Education, 21 (8), 933-947.

McGrath, L., Berggren, J., & Mežek, Š. (2016). . Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 22, 152-164.

McGrath, L. (2016). . English for Specific Purposes, 43, 25-36.

McGrath, L. (2016). . Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 21, 86-98.

McGrath, L. (2015). . Fachsprache: International Journal of Specialized Communication, 3-4, 223-227.

Kuteeva, M., & McGrath, L. (2015). . Applied Linguistics, 36 (2), 215-235.

McGrath, L. (2014). Parallel language use in academic and outreach publication: A case study of policy and practice. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 13, 5-16.

Kuteeva, M., & McGrath, L. (2014). Taming Tyrannosaurus rex: English use in the research and publication practices of humanities scholars in Sweden. Multilingua, 33 (3-4).

McGrath, L., & Kuteeva, M. (2012). Stance and engagement in pure mathematics research articles: Linking discourse features to disciplinary practices. English for Specific Purposes, 31 (3), 161-173.

Book chapters

Chan, C.S.C., & McGrath, L. (2024). . In Nesi, H., & Milin, P. (Eds.) International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. Elsevier:

Reports

Negretti, R., Solli, K., McGrath, L., Sala-Bubarè, A., & Castellò, M. (2025). . Chalmers University of Technology.

Theses / Dissertations

Phuong, N.T.D. (2024). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by McGrath, L., Donaghue, H., & Reidy, L.

Fleming, K. (2021). . (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by McGrath, L.

Internet Publications

Heron, M., McGrath, L., Adams, G., & Donaghue, H. (2025). We need to talk about doctoral pedagogy: introducing the doctoral education toolkit.

McGrath, L. (2024). .

McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Feak, C. (2024). .

Presentations

McGrath, L., Heron, M., Donaghue, H., & Adams, G. (2025). Co-constructing doctoral literacy development tasks with doctoral students: process, product and impact. Presented at: British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes, University of Plymouth, UK

McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Feak, C. (2025). Beyond academic writing: the transformative potential of multi-genre tasks. Presented at: British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes, University of Plymouth

McGrath, L. (2024). Fostering subject specialists’ commitment and capacity to develop their students’ academic and literacies. Presented at: Invited talk, University of Dalarna, Sweden

Negretti, R., McGrath, L., Castellò, M., Solli, K., & Sala-Bubarè, A. (2024). Educating doctoral writers at the intersection of industry and academia. Presented at: European Association for Ï㽶ÊÓƵ on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), SIG writing Conference, Nanterre, Paris, France

Mežek, Š., McGrath, L., Negretti, R., & Berggren, J. (2022). Scaffolding L2 Academic Reading and Self-Regulation Through Task and Feedback.

McGrath, L., & Donaghue, H. (2021). Fostering subject lecturers’ commitment and capacity to engage with students’ academic literacies development. Presented at: Higher Educational Institutional Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Conference, St Andrews, UK

Kuteeva, M., & McGrath, L. (2020). Taming Tyrannosaurus Rex: English use in the research and publication practices of humanities scholars in Sweden.

McGrath, L., Berggren, J., & Mezek, S. (2020). Insights into L2 students’ approach to academic reading in an introductory EAP course. Presented at: ASLA Symposium, Södertörn Högskola, Sweden

McGrath, L. (2020). Revisiting discipline in writing for publication in the social sciences. Presented at: AESLA Conference, University of Cadiz, Spain

McGrath, L. (2020). Hidden expectations: scaffolding subject specialists’ genre knowledge of the assignments they set.

McGrath, L., Muir, T., Negretti, R., & Solli, K. (2019). Crossing contexts: doctoral students' writing within and across public sector, industrial and academic institutions. Presented at: Professional, academic and work-based literacies symposium: Work, life, study: literacies in and out of institutions, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

McGrath, L. (2019). Genre, academic literacies and metacognition: Theoretical "wanders" and their implementation in EAP pedagogy. Presented at: International Conference of English for Specific Purposes, University of Crete, Greece

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2019). English for Specific Playfulness? How doctoral students find fun in the development of genre knowledge, authorial voice, and genre innovation. Presented at: EATAW Conference, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

McGrath, L., & Negretti, R. (2019). Scaffolding L2 academic reading and self-regulation through task and feedback. Presented at: BALEAP Conference, University of Leeds, UK

McGrath, L., & Negretti, R. (2018). Hidden expectations: Scaffolding subject lecturers' genre knowledge of the assignments they set. Presented at: NFEAP Conference, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway

McGrath, L., & Negretti, R. (2018). Hidden expectations: Scaffolding subject lecturers' genre knowledge of the assignments they set. Presented at: The Future of Genres, Oslo Metropolitan University

Kaufhold, K., & McGrath, L. (2018). Revisiting discipline in writing for publication in the social sciences. Presented at: Department of English Higher Seminar, Stockholm University, Sweden

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2018). Transfer of genre knowledge? On metacognitive scaffolds in the writing for research doctoral class. Presented at: AESLA Conference, University of Cadiz, Spain

McGrath, L. (2017). An ESP genre perspective on teaching writing for publication. Presented at: Department of Higher Education Seminar, University of Surrey, Uk

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2017). From genre knowledge to genre performance: Metacognitive scaffolds in the L2 writing for research classroom. Presented at: EATAW Conference, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK

McGrath, L. (2016). Writing for publication in pure mathematics: Insights into text and context. Presented at: Higher Seminar, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

Negretti, R., & McGrath, L. (2016). Visualizations of genre as a pedagogical tool in the ‘writing for research’ classroom. Presented at: NFEAP Conference, Norway

McGrath, L., Berggren, J., & Mezek, S. (2015). Reading for an English academic writing course: What novice students do. Presented at: EATAW Conference, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia

McGrath, L. (2014). Open access writing: An investigation into the co-authorship of a research article. Presented at: Symposium on Languages for Specific Purposes, Stockholm University, Sweden

Other publications

McGrath, L. (2023). . Sheffield Institute of Education, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ:

McGrath, L., & Samatar, A. (2019). Turning the tide of BAME experiences: A call for waves not ripples.

McGrath, L., & Nicholls, K. (2017). Of writing, wardrobes and windows. Sheffield Institute of Education:

McGrath, L., & Taylor, L. (2016). A world of EAP. ESP Today:

Other activities

Editorial board member of the Journal of English for Academic Purposes
BALEAP research and publication sub-committee member
Deputy Director White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership (Education, Childhood and Youth pathway)

Postgraduate supervision

I supervise PhD and EdD students researching various topics in Education in the SIoE. I also co-supervise a student with the Chalmers University in Gothenburg.
 
My current students are:
Kat Maciag (English for Academic Purposes)
Steph Hannam Swain (Disability Studies)
Syra Shakir (BAME belonging)
Amira Samatar (BAME)
Phuong Nguyen (TESOL)
Maria Cervin-Ellqvist (Doctoral communication)
 

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