A key issue in the area of side chain liquid crystal polymers concerns the conformation of the backbone within the mesophase. In order to resolve this matter, Noirez and co-workers (Liquid Crystals, 1995, 18 129) have studied a wide range of polymers exhibiting both nematic and smectic behaviour using small angle neutron scattering. Their results combined with a survey of those in the literature reveal that if the polymer is solely nematogenic, then the backbone adopts a prolate conformation in which on average it lies along the director. By contrast, in a smectic phase the backbone adopts an oblate shape and on average lies perpendicularly with respect to the director. This arises from a microphase separation in which the backbones are distributed between the mesogenic layers. However, the backbones can cross the mesogenic layers although their ability t o do so depends on, amongst other factors, the degree of polymerization. If the polymer exhibits both nematic and smectic behaviour, then in the nematic phase the backbone adopts a slightly oblate shape resulting from smectic fluctuations.