It is widely recognized that desertification is a serious threat to arid and semiarid environments - which cover 40% of the global land surface and are populated by approximately 1 billion humans. Given the potential relevance of this problem, it is surprising that there is no consensus on the proper way to assess the desertification status of a piece of land. During the last 70 years, conflicting definitions have produced both different assessment methodologies and divergent estimates. Contrary to conceptual issues on desertification, assessment methodologies have not been reviewed comprehensively. Here, we critically review the most common methodologies to assess desertification, and describe their principal consequences on scientific and social arenas. Keywords: Desertification, methodology, precipitation marginal response, Quantification, rain use efficiency.