Cell death occurs for both physiological and pathological reasons. Varying modes of death are either programmed to safely remove healthy cells that are no longer useful or to stimulate an inflammatory response to clear cells that are useful but no longer healthy. To distinguish among the multiple ways a cell can self-destruct, distinct morphological changes, triggers, and biochemical hallmarks are monitored. Use this guide to learn about the tools available to investigate multiple molecular pathways and cell death markers to help you determine the cell death mechanism(s) occurring under your experimental circumstances.