An investigation is the process of gathering and examining evidence to help reconstruct an event. For example, if an airplane crashes, investigators may examine the cause, such as by reviewing accident reports and interviewing witnesses. The findings of an investigation can then be used to prevent future accidents by instituting policy changes or increasing training and inspections. Investigations are important for businesses, governments, and individuals because they promote transparency and hold people accountable when policies or laws are violated.
The word investigation is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as “the action of investigating, or making an inquiry; close research.” Investigators are careful searchers who don’t get distracted by other trails. They also avoid ignoring facts that don’t fit their narrative. Instead, they weigh all of the evidence before reaching a conclusion.
Writing a well-written investigation report is critical. It’s not just a summary of your findings, but a legal document that details the entire investigative process and its outcome. Moreover, it needs to be free of any errors that could damage the credibility of your work, such as misspellings, grammatical mistakes, formatting issues, and so on.
Start your investigation by choosing a question that piques your interest or that is of high public importance. This can be a political or business scandal. It’s a good idea to have an editor in your corner. They’ll keep you from getting swept up in the pressure to get the story to print or online quickly. They’ll also be your advocate should a claim of libel or misinformation arise.
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