<p><pre><code>    &gt;&gt; ... by criticising their opinions in public, at
    &gt;&gt; a conference or in a seminar ...
    &gt;
    &gt; How is this being a &quot;jerk&quot;? This is what academia is
    &gt; supposed to be all about - you publish, others
    &gt; criticize
</code></pre>
Criticizing people&#x27;s results and conclusions in an argumented way in an article is perfectly &quot;academical&quot;. Asking them question after their presentation is OK too. Criticizing them <i>harshly</i> in public when they presents their work and asking them to answer immediately to your objections is maybe not the best way to approach truth.