Harris Cooper

Harris Cooper is an American academic social psychologist and an author of nonfiction books. He is the Hugo L. Blomquist Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Duke University.

Cooper is best known for his works on research synthesis methodology and educational policies and practices. Among his authored works are publications in academic journals, including Psychological Bulletin and American Psychologist as well as books such as Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach and Ethical Choices in Research: Managing Data, Writing Reports, and Publishing Results in the Social Sciences. He is the recipient of the 2008 Ingram Olkin Award from the Society of Research Synthesis Methodology.

Cooper is the editor-in-chief of the journal American Psychologist.

Education Cooper completed his B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He then attended the University of Connecticut where he received a M.A. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology.

Cooper was the editor-in-chief for the Psychological Bulletin from 2003 to 2009. Between 2012 and 2015, he was appointed as the co-editor for the journal Archives of Scientific Psychology. Between 2009 and 2015, he held an appointment as the chief editorial advisor for the APA's journal publishing program. In 2021, he became the editor-in-chief of American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association, for a term spanning 2021 to 2026. New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Reader's Digest, the New Yorker, and NBC Dateline. Additionally, specialized publications like Parents, Parenting, and Child magazines, The American Teacher and NEA Today have also featured his work.

Works Academic books Cooper has authored numerous books throughout his career. His book, Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach (2017) is in its 5th edition. One of his recent edited publications titled The Handbook of Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis (2nd ed., 2019), serves as a guide for social and behavioral science researchers, offering insights and techniques for the entire research synthesis process, covering statistical and non-statistical aspects, and providing practical advice on results communication.

Cooper chaired the first APA committee that developed guidelines for information about research that should be included in manuscripts submitted to APA journals. He also published a book on the topic, titled Reporting Research in Psychology: How to Meet the New Standards for Journal Articles (2nd ed., 2019).

Non-fiction books Cooper has authored non-fiction books as well. His book American History Through a Whiskey Glass delves into the integral role played by bourbon and rye whiskey in significant events. The narrative combines factual depictions of historical occurrences with anecdotes and quotes from the key figures involved as well era-specific whiskeys, recipes, and music playlists.

His other book, titled Finding America in a Minor League Ballpark: A Season Hosting for the Durham Bulls, recounts Cooper's experiences as a Seating Bowl Host for the minor league baseball team. The narrative also includes a concise history of minor league baseball, the city of Durham and the Bulls. It introduces the individual profiles of ballplayers, emphasizing personal backgrounds over on-field statistics. The book also features analysis of twelve baseball movies that focus on baseball not played in the major leagues. 1992 – Gold Chalk Award, University of Missouri-Columbia 1997 – Interpretive Scholarship Award, American Educational Research Association 2007 – Outstanding Review of Research, American Educational Research Association 2007 – Frederick Mosteller Award, International Campbell Collaboration 2008 – Ingram Olkin Award, Society for Research Synthesis Methodology