An investigation is an action carried out to discover something.
In the Latin That language is where the etymological origin of the word research that we are now going to analyze is found. Specifically, it derives from the verb perquirere , which can be translated as “search carefully” and is made up of two parts:
• The prefix per- , which is equivalent to “through.”
• The verb quarere , which can be translated as “search”.
What is an investigation
The concept of research can be associated with the idea of research . It is an investigation that a person or an organization carries out with the intention of discovering a certain issue, accessing previously unknown information .
The research can be carried out in multiple ways and in any area. There are informal investigations , which an individual develops in his daily life almost spontaneously, and others that are carried out through complex work extended over time.
For example: “The Scientific Police investigation led to the arrest of four people involved in the murder,” “I would tell the senator not to be so calm: the investigation has not yet concluded and things may still come to light,” “ "I'm going to do an investigation to find out who leaves the garbage at the door of the house."
The investigations have different characteristics depending on the area.
From the everyday to the formal and the literary
The mother of three children can conduct an investigation at home to find out which of her children is the one who secretly eats sweets at night. To do this, install a video camera in the kitchen and record several hours. The next day, upon watching the recording, he discovers who was eating the candy.
Another type of investigation, more formal, is that carried out by the police of a country to disrupt a drug trafficking gang. The investigation includes agents infiltrated into the criminal group, analysis of telephone communications, hijacking of computers and hidden cameras. Finally, the investigation serves to seize two hundred kilograms of drugs, arrest ten people and begin a judicial process to try those responsible.
There are many detective and suspense genre novels, which focus fundamentally on the investigations carried out by their protagonists in order to discover the identity of the criminal who has committed the relevant crime. This happens, for example, in the books written by Agatha Christie and starring the detective Hercule Poirot .
Other uses of the term research
We cannot ignore that in certain countries pesquisa is used with other meanings. Thus, for example, in Ecuador it is synonymous with both the Secret Police and the agent who works in that body.
Likewise, long ago this word was used to refer to the witness of a specific event or fact.
In the field of medicine, on the other hand, there is talk of what is known as neonatal screening . This term refers to the search for pathologies that do not have symptoms at the time of birth but that, over time, bring with them a series of consequences that are detectable through medical analyzes of various types.
Cystic fibrosis, congenital hypothyroidism or congenital adrenal hyperplasia are some of the diseases that try to be discovered in newborns through blood samples, for example.