Cosmogenic nuclides have become a widely used tool to address scientific questions in Earth surface sciences. Major advances in analytical sensitivity, accuracy and precision in the late 1980s made application to problems in Earth sciences feasible. In particular, widespread use of in-situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides has revolutionized Earth surface sciences in the last 15 years. The capabilities to quantify the geomorphic stability of surfaces exposed to cosmic rays and to determine long-term erosion rates were quickly adopted to address, and resolve for the first time, a wide range of first-order problems in the fields of geomorphology, glaciology, palaeoclimatology, palaeoseismology, soil science, volcanology and geohazard research. In the pioneering days of cosmogenic nuclide methodology, it was commonly the same researchers who developed, as well as applied, the methodology; with increasing specialization and division of work, and with new researchers entering the fields as users, this is becoming relatively rare. While it is not feasible, and probably not necessary, for every user of the cosmogenic methodology to know every aspect of the methodological basis, a firm knowledge of the fundamentals is crucial for applying the method safely in the natural environment. This is because scientific questions and field situations may often be similar, but they are rarely identical, usually requiring a knowledgeable adaptation of generic ‘recipes’ to design a particular scientific approach and sampling strategy.