An overview of commonly available, state-of-the-art diffraction techniques for university research is presented based on some chemical case studies. Examples from the Fribourg crystallography service are presented, aimed at scientists who would like to learn about the principal possibilities that X-ray powder and single-crystal diffraction can offer, how these methods can serve to determine the structure of a given material, and how they can help to identify polymorphs, surface coatings and enantiomers.