Rökstuði

Rökstuði is an Icelandic term used to refer to the grounds or justification for a claim, decision, or policy. It denotes the set of reasons, evidence, and logical arguments that support a statement. The concept is closely related to rökstuðningur (justification) and röksemd (argument).

In practice, a rökstuði should present a clear claim, the evidence that supports it (data, sources, examples), and the logical reasoning that connects the evidence to the claim. It may also address counterarguments or alternative explanations and strive for transparency by distinguishing facts from assumptions.

Rökstuði is used in various contexts, including academic writing, legal and administrative texts, and public discourse. In scholarly work, a strong rökstuði strengthens conclusions. In law and governance, a well-constructed rökstuði explains rulings or policy choices and facilitates accountability. Across uses, the quality of a rökstuði is judged by clarity, relevance, sufficiency of evidence, and logical coherence.

See also: röksemd, rökstuðningur, justification, and related concepts in argumentation.