Magnetic interactions, categorised into ligand based, metal based and neutron diffraction, are reviewed with regard to the information they give on covalency. The ligand hyperfine interaction, the metal hyperfine field measured by the Mössbauer effect and neutron diffraction measurements are mentioned in some detail, with particular emphasis on the latter as being the most productive experimental technique in this field. The information already gathered is assessed with reference to chemical knowledge, and useful avenues for future investigation are suggested.