In recent years, there has been an increased interest in using nanoparticles for drug delivery and pharmaceutical development. Nanoparticles can offer significant advantages over the conventional drug delivery systems in terms of high drug loading, stability and specificity, controlled release capability, and the ability to deliver both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug molecules through various routes of administration. This review article focuses on the use of the single emulsion solvent evaporation method, the first method proposed for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles, and modifications that have been developed over the years to improve the results obtained with this technique.