Abstract: A method for determining a torsional structure in the surface roughness of a finished shaft journal includes making a plurality of axial scores on a circumferential strip of the shaft journal, with a high axial measurement point density at different but exactly known circumferential positions as well as with exactly known axial positions. The individual local roughness profiles are printed out in a close sequence with respect to one another corresponding to their positions. The measurement charts are raised or elongated in the radial and axial directions and upset in the circumferential direction. Thus, a topography with multidimensional affinity showing the microstructure of the surface in three dimensions in a diagonal view is obtained. An autocorrelation function is formed from this topography, stochastic elements are eliminated, and a surface topography is obtained that essentially contains only the periodic elements.