作為

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 作為 (さくい) means deliberate manipulation or authorial intention. It appears adverbially and as a noun subject.
• Basic usage: An investigation checks possible deliberate alteration of figures; authorial design is felt even in a natural-looking arrangement.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Possible manipulation of data and intentional artistic arrangement
  • 作為的に suggests potentially improper manipulation; 作者の作為 means conscious compositional intent. The latter is not accidental.