In a thesis or journal you write all sentences yourself, but on some occasions you prefer to take a piece of text from another source. If you do, should you use quotation marks only, or italicize it, or use both, to identify that you have not written it?
Example for quoting directly from a source:
- This can, according to Someone et al. [1], be seen as "an excellent way of representing a piece of text quoted from another source", and therefore it's emphasized.
- This can, according to Someone et al. [1], be seen as "an excellent way of representing a piece of text quoted from another source", and therefore it's emphasized.
- This can, according to Someone et al. [1], be seen as an excellent way of representing a piece of text quoted from another source, and therefore it's emphasized.
Example for a definition with a source:
- Wikipedia defines italic as "a semi-cursive, slightly sloped style of handwriting and calligraphy that was developed during the Renaissance in Italy" [2].
- Wikipedia defines italic as "a semi-cursive, slightly sloped style of handwriting and calligraphy that was developed during the Renaissance in Italy" [2].
- Wikipedia defines italic as a semi-cursive, slightly sloped style of handwriting and calligraphy that was developed during the Renaissance in Italy [2].
Are there are any style guides or recommendations that refer to italicized text, for either quotes or definitions? And related to the two examples, what is the recommended way to distinguish between a quote and a definition?
Edit: note that if a style guide is provided, the guide should be followed. This question relates to situations where no style guide is required.