ABSTRACT
There are of course two types of criticism that one may receive, constructive or destructive, or a mix of the two. As educators, with students, one is often in the position of dispensing criticism, which one surely aims to be constructive. However, one does read about student–supervisor relationships not working or breaking down. It is for this reason one should not become friends with students. One should always remain at a distance. A very common situation where one will receive and certainly must be prepared for criticism is reports from referees on the submitted research grants and articles. As a source of examples, the journal Nature has, firstly, on a weekly basis, corrigenda or errata from authors acknowledging and correcting errors in their previously published articles. Good science is going to involve the correction of mistakes. It is part of the normal scientific process.
