Undersøkelses

Undersøkelses is an attributive form of the Norwegian noun undersøkelse, meaning investigation or examination. It is used as a prefix in compound terms such as undersøkelsesrapport (investigation report), undersøkelsesprosess (investigation process), undersøkelsesmetode (investigation method), and markedsundersøkelse (market survey). The concept covers activities that aim to discover facts, verify hypotheses, or clarify conditions.

The term occurs across multiple domains. In legal and public administration contexts, it refers to formal inquiries conducted by authorities, police, or regulatory bodies. In corporate settings, it can denote internal investigations into compliance or misconduct. In medicine, undersøkelse describes a patient examination or diagnostic assessment. In research and journalism, it denotes systematic data collection and analysis to uncover or verify information, including surveys, interviews, and observations.

Typical processes involve planning, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Methods vary by field and purpose, ranging from interviews and document review to experiments, field observations, and forensic analysis. Ethical and legal considerations are central: informed consent, privacy protection, data security, and, in forensic or legal contexts, chain of custody and due process.

The outcome is usually an undersøkelsesrapport or utredning, presenting findings, interpretations, and sometimes recommendations. While the emphasis is on method and evidence, the quality of an undersøkelse depends on rigor, transparency, and avoidance of bias or incomplete information.