Resultatet ser lovende ut.

Because Norwegian usually marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun.

• et resultat = a result
• resultatet = the result

Here, resultat is a neuter noun, so the definite singular ending is -et.

Because resultat is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender:

• en for many masculine/feminine nouns
• et for neuter nouns

So:

• et resultat
• resultatet

This is something you usually just have to learn with the noun.

Ser ut is the verb expression se ut, which means to look or to appear.

So in this sentence:

• ser ut = looks / appears

A very common pattern in Norwegian is:

• X ser + adjective + ut
• Det ser bra ut = It looks good
• Hun ser sliten ut = She looks tired

So Resultatet ser lovende ut literally works like The result looks promising.

Because se ut is a phrasal-type verb, and in main clauses Norwegian often splits these up.

So you get:

• Resultatet ser lovende ut

not:

• Resultatet ser ut lovende

The adjective or other complement often goes between the verb and the particle:

• Det ser fint ut
• Hun ser glad ut
• Planen ser god ut

This separation is completely normal.

Lovende is an adjective meaning promising.

It comes from the verb å love, which in this context relates to showing promise, not making a promise.

So:

• lovende = promising

In this sentence it is used predicatively, after the verb:

• Resultatet ser lovende ut

That is similar to English looks promising.

Because it is used after the verb, not directly before the noun.

Compare:

• et lovende resultat = a promising result
• Resultatet ser lovende ut = The result looks promising

In predicative use, Norwegian adjectives usually appear in their basic form.
Also, lovende is one of those adjectives that often looks the same in many contexts anyway.

Yes, you can, but it means something slightly different.

• Resultatet ser lovende ut = The result looks promising
  This suggests an impression or appearance.

• Resultatet er lovende = The result is promising
  This sounds a bit more direct and definite.

So ser ... ut is a little softer and more like it seems promising based on what we see.

You put ikke after the finite verb:

• Resultatet ser ikke lovende ut.
• The result doesn’t look promising.

That is the normal placement in a main clause:

• subject + verb + ikke
  • rest

Yes. Norwegian main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

In the basic sentence:

• Resultatet = first element
• ser = second element

So:

• Resultatet ser lovende ut.

If you start with something else, the verb still stays in second position:

• I dag ser resultatet lovende ut. = Today, the result looks promising.

Notice that when I dag comes first, ser still comes second.

You change ser to the past tense så:

• Resultatet så lovende ut.
• The result looked promising.

So the pattern is:

• present: ser ut
• past: så ut

Yes, very commonly. This is a very useful pattern in Norwegian.

Examples:

• Det ser bra ut. = It looks good.
• Hun ser trøtt ut. = She looks tired.
• Planen ser vanskelig ut. = The plan looks difficult.
• Været ser fint ut. = The weather looks nice.

So Resultatet ser lovende ut follows a very common structure.

Yes. It sounds very natural.

It could be used in many situations, for example:

• in science or research
• in business
• in school or testing
• in sports
• in ordinary conversation

It has a slightly formal or neutral tone because of resultatet, but the structure itself is completely everyday Norwegian.