Polynomials whose zeros are symmetric either to the real line or to the unit circle are very important in mathematics and physics. We can classify them into three main classes: the self-conjugate polynomials, whose zeros are symmetric to the real line; the self-inversive polynomials, whose zeros are symmetric to the unit circle; and the self-reciprocal polynomials, whose zeros are symmetric by an inversion with respect to the unit circle followed by a reflection in the real line. Real self-reciprocal polynomials are simultaneously self-conjugate and self-inversive so that their zeros are symmetric to both the real line and the unit circle. In this survey, we present a short review of these polynomials, focusing on the distribution of their zeros.

Keywords: Self-inversive polynomials, self-reciprocal polynomials, Pisot and Salem polynomials, M\"obius transformations, knot theory, Bethe equations