Observations of mean or average pulse profiles and their polarization give us much information on the shape of pulsar beams. The observed polarization variations, profile symmetry and frequency dependence of profile shape strongly suggest that the emission beam is conical and emitted from the vicinity of a magnetic pole. Central and outer parts of the beam have somewhat different properties, but the evidence is that they are emitted by the same basic mechanism. Recent observations suggest that the highly polarized pulse components seen in young pulsars may be emitted at a large angle to the magnetic axis.

Recent searches for millisecond and binary pulsars are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the nearly complete Parkes southern survey. Correlations between several of the major parameters of these systems are discussed.

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are short-period pulsars that are distinguished from “normal” pulsars, not only by their short period, but also by their very small spin-down rates and high probability of being in a binary system. These properties are consistent with MSPs having a different evolutionary history to normal pulsars, viz., neutron-star formation in an evolving binary system and spin-up due to accretion from the binary companion. Their very stable periods make MSPs nearly ideal probes of a wide variety of astrophysical phenomena. For example, they have been used to detect planets around pulsars, to test the accuracy of gravitational theories, to set limits on the low-frequency gravitational-wave background in the Universe, and to establish pulsar-based timescales that rival the best atomic-clock timescales in long-term stability. MSPs also provide a window into stellar and binary evolution, often suggesting exotic pathways to the observed systems. The X-ray accretion-powered MSPs, and especially those that transition between an accreting X-ray MSP and a non-accreting radio MSP, give important insight into the physics of accretion on to highly magnetized neutron stars.