You've never worked with research scientists! It's not that they can't communicate, but they most definitely don't give a hoot about the technical niceties of writing. Grammar is to research scientists what legibility is to doctors: They don't really bother. Having said that, I'm a scientist by training and I'm a stickler for grammar, so the rule is not universal. Somewhere in the universe, I'm sure there's a doctor whose writing on prescriptions is perfectly legible. What if Beethoven had written only five symphonies because of the extra time needed to follow all the rules of musical notation? One look at his original manuscripts, and college professors would give him an F. What mattered, though, was getting the ideas on paper as quickly as possible. In such a context, who really cares about one or two spaces after a period?
I can remember taking lab sciences courses where the lab instructors were worried about grammar. They were always the instructors who could not answer my questions about the lab methodology, apparatus and the like. Worse than grammar, was the jot and tittle counting that was involved with setting up and printing out graphs in excel. It was almost impossible to read their minds as to what lines to bold, which fonts to use, how large to make the little circles that surround your points on a graph, whether or not a label would be vertically or horizontally read,
Maybe I'm being cynical, but this could well be used as a test of a teacher's knowledge of the subject. Can they survive questions and intense debate, or must they focus on trivialities as a distraction from their lack of understanding? Can you imagine Einstein thriving in such an environment? Quote: Albert Einstein didn’t speak until age four and didn’t read until age seven. His teachers labeled him “slow” and “mentally handicapped.” I can't imagine dear old Albert worrying too much about two spaces after a period. It's not that grammar or methodology aren't important; it's more a question of priorities and focus. Once again, thank the Lord for homeschooling.
The Oxford comma is the one before the "and" in a series, right? Was taught decades ago that it eliminates imprecision, confusion, and ambiguity. So I use it. I still haven't broken the habit, also instilled decades ago, of double-spacing after an end punctuation. I know that it's not necessary, but it's also not worth it to me to retrain myself. Except in texting - where another space is another character and the room for that is at a premium. I have a very hard time with textspeak. It sets my teeth on edge. It reminds me of the old "if u cn rd ts u cn lrn 2 uz speedwriting" ads in magazines, which meant you could earn the Big Bucks as a highly paid secretary without having to learn shorthand.
