The Field Notes and Data series consists of material related to Cohen's research and anthropological field work in Nigeria, focusing on the ethnography and social structures of the Nigerians living in Borno. Documents include field notes, oral histories, grant proposals, and interviews created while conducting field research from the 1950s to the 1980s. The series is divided into four sub-series organized around the four major field research projects: Ethnography and Social Change in Borno, Family Conflict and Divorce Among the Kanuri, Origins of State in Borno, and Organization of Food Production in Nigeria.

Doctoral research examining the Kanuri conducted from 1955 to 1957 with a Foreign Area Fellowship. Field notes predominately are first-person accounts of Cohen's observations. The majority of the files in this sub-series consist of typescript notes from 1956 and 1957, but there are a few manuscript notes as well. In addition to the field notes, there are also questionnaires, general notes, and status reports. Files are arranged alphabetically, although the field notes files themselves are arranged chronologically.

Research examining the high divorce frequency among the Kanuri of the Borno Emirate in Northern Nigeria. This series primarily consists of data collected from male and female participants in the study. A large portion of the files pertain to TAT testing and analysis. In addition to the data itself, the series also includes codebooks, questionnaires, notes, test forms, and computer printouts (many of which are not dated). Of particular interest are the hand-drawn images used during the TAT testing (see also the photographic prints of these drawings in the Photographs). Files are arranged alphabetically.

An ethnographic study of the Babur-Bura society with a special emphasis on spread of Islam and the split between the Babur (predominately Islamic) and the Bura groups in this region. The field notes consist of observations, oral histories, interviews, and discussions with participating informants, especially older informants with longer memories and greater historical perspectives. This large project was funded primarily by the National Science Foundation. The majority of the files in this series are identified and grouped according to the towns, villages, and clans that were included in the research. In most cases, typescript transcriptions of the original field notebooks are also present. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Research examining the relationship between farming scale and productivity and between centralization and productivity in Nigerian agriculture. This series includes interviews, reports, notes, data, correspondence, codebooks, and data analysis computer printouts. In addition to agriculture and food production, other topics include BOADAP (Borno State Accelerated Development Area Programme), ethnography, the Study Group on Food Production, and Tiga Dam. Files are arranged alphabetically.

This series consists of journal articles, conference papers, monograph chapters, reviews, and other publications and writings created by Cohen. The subjects covered within these publications represent Cohen's research interests, specifically pertaining to Borno and Nigeria. Topics include human rights, food production, warfare, social evolution, state development, the status of women, and methods of anthropological research. Files are arranged alphabetically.

This series consists of proposals made to various grant funding agencies including: National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Fulbright-Hays, and the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). The majority of the project proposals pertain to Borno and Nigeria with topics such as human rights, food production, social evolution, state development, marriage and divorce theory, and the Carter Lectures on Africa. Cohen is the principal investigator for the majority of the proposals, but other persons and groups are represented as well, including the University of Florida Center for African Studies, the Makerere Institute of Social Research, Ajuji Ahmed, Larry Koinyan, O. Famure, and Obafemi Awolowo University. Files are arranged alphabetically.

This series consists of notes and photocopies of materials from African archives, historical writings, research aids, and other secondary materials used by Cohen to conduct research in Nigeria. The majority of the files contain archival records, primarily pre-colonial material from the Nigerian National Archives and various other archival institutions. Although most of the photocopies and notes in this series are not dated, it seems that the bulk of the material was created in the 1970s in conjunction with the "Origins of State in Borno" research project. Files are arranged alphabetically.

This series includes conference papers, seminar and symposium notes, committee files, memorandum, workshop papers, reports, curriculum vitae, and professional materials pertaining to the Carter Lectures on Africa and various academic departments. Topics include the American Anthropological Association, the USAID project on the Himalayan Studies Centre in Nepal, a folklore manuscript related to the Arctic, Nigeria, and the University of Maiduguri. Files are arranged alphabetically.

This small series includes correspondence pertaining to publications, research projects, symposiums, academics, and personal matters. Correspondents and topics include: Peter Agbonifo, Borno, Nigeria, Brian Ferguson, "Warfare and State Formation," IREX, A.L. Mabogunje, and the UF Anthropology Department. Files are arranged alphabetically.

This series contains three sub-series: Prints, Slides, and Negatives, which primarily are of images taken in Nigeria. The majority of the prints are not dated and in black and white. Several of the prints have hand-written captions on the verso of the print, and in these cases the folder title reflects the caption. The majority of the slides are in color and are dated. The negatives, for the most part, are not identified but grouped under categories such as "Daily Life" or "Women's Activities." Names and subjects occurring frequently in this series include Suli, Mallam, Shehu, Mianaram/Mianarami, Kanuri, Magumeri, Maiduguri, mosques, monkey, Berni, a dig, Rosemans, children, the district head, and the Cohen family. Of particular interest are the images of drawings used during the Kanuri Divorce project TAT testing (see also the original drawings in the series entitled Field Notes and Data: Family Conflict and Divorce Among the Kanuri). Files are arranged alphabetically within each sub-series.