Vibrational spectroscopy is advantageous as an analytical tool for polymers and comprises two complementary techniques: infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. This report is an absorbing overview of how these methods can be employed to provide information about complex polymeric macromolecules with respect to composition, structure, conformation and intermolecular interactions. The review is supported by several hundred abstracts selected from the Rapra Polymer Library database giving useful references for further reading.