evidence gathering
Amassing factual support
Evidence gathering is the process of collecting information, documents, or materials to support a claim or investigation.
Legal contexts dominate: police gather evidence at crime scenes, lawyers gather evidence for trials.
The term extends to any systematic collection of proof: The committee's evidence gathering took months.
Often hyphenated as a modifier: evidence-gathering techniques.
- witness interviewsQuestioning those who observed
- witness statementFirsthand account for court
- paper trailDocumentary evidence chain
- crime scene analysisStudy of offense locations
- field observationWatching subjects in place
fact-checking · chain of custody · smoking gun · surveillance footage · body cam footage · fact-finding · whistleblower protection · laboratory experiments · subpoena · expert testimony · cross-examination · deposition · scrutiny · inquiry · discovery · data logging · analysis · covert operations
- Private InvestigatorsPI, private detective, detective agency, gumshoe, shamus
- trial preptrial exhibits, witness prep, mock trial, witness list, voir dire
- police workpatrol, arrests, arrest, stings, investigation
- policingpatrol, police powers, arrests, police officer, arrest
- evidenceproof, admissible, findings, inadmissible, results
- investigationinvestigation, detective, clue, case, suspect
evidence gatheringspeculation
Unproven theorizing or risky investment
guessing · conjecture · assumption · presumption · supposition
evidence gatheringevidence suppression
Hiding proof from proceedings
evidence tampering · concealment · cover-up · obstruction · hiding evidence
evidence gatheringwillful ignorance
Purposely remaining uninformed
obstruction of justice · turning a blind eye · looking the other way · stonewalling · inaction