List of cult and new religious movement researchers

This list includes people that have researched cults and/or new religious movements. Individuals are listed below according to their academic background, area of research, or profession.

Endnotes
 Steven Hassan is the author of the book Combatting Cult Mind Control;,which was recommended in the American Journal of Psychiatry "to professionals in health-related fields, clergy, attorneys, judges, and others whose responsibilities bring them into contact with cults, their members, and the families whose lives are affected."; and in The Lancet for "professionals in mental health, particularly those involved with students". In 2003, the news agency Reuters described Hassan as a "cult expert"; the same characterization has been made about Hassan by The Toronto Sun, the Sydney Morning Herald, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, the Herald Sun, and Newsweek. In the book Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary Debates edited by James A. Beckford and John Walliss, Hassan is described as a "scholar" belonging to the faction of "cult bashers".  