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Article Contents

ABSTRACT

1.INTRODUCTION

1.1.Context

1.2.Scope of this review

2.BACKGROUND AND CHALLENGES

2.1.Overview and history

2.2.IMF definitions and terminology

2.3.Conventions and language usage

2.3.1.Sign conventions

2.3.2.IMF naming conventions

2.3.3.Parameter ranges

2.3.4.IMF shape descriptions

2.3.5.Other issues

2.4.The confusion wrought through "universality"

3.IMF MEASUREMENT APPROACHES: STELLAR TECHNIQUES

3.1.Resolved star counts and luminosity functions

3.2.Stellar clusters

3.3.Chemical abundance measurements

3.4.Population III stars

3.5.Review

4.IMF MEASUREMENT APPROACHES: NEUTRAL AND MOLECULAR GAS AND DUST

5.IMF MEASUREMENT APPROACHES: INTEGRATED GALAXY TECHNIQUES

5.1.Background

5.2.Star forming galaxies

5.3.Passive galaxies

5.4.Summary and limitations

5.5.Linking galaxies to their constituents