Should individual letters of the Latin alphabet be italicized?

Question

Dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

Should individual letters of the Latin alphabet be italicized in the above example?

EDIT (AFTER Neil Coffey's ANSWER): According to "The Chicago Manual of Style" (7.59) we should prefer the latter.

If the answer is in the Chicago Manual of Style, then shouldn't this question be closed as General Reference? — user16269, Commented May 12, 2012 at 9:13
I'm not sure why that is so because, generally speaking, individual letters and combinations of letters of the Latin alphabet are usually italicized. So, my edit isn't the answer to my question. @RegDwightΒВBẞ8 — user21032, Commented May 12, 2012 at 9:22
@DavidWallace - Sure, the question will be closed as "Lewis Carroll's question". — user21032, Commented May 12, 2012 at 9:39

Neil Coffey · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-11 20:53:56Z

4

Neither holy scripture nor federal law dictates which to use.

If your publisher/editor etc has told you which to adopt, do whatever they have asked.

If your publisher/editor etc has told you to adhere to a particular style guide, do whatever that style recommends.

If nobody is compelling you to adopt either choice, which do you prefer?

answered May 11, 2012 at 20:53

Neil Coffey

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Neither holy scripture nor federal law dictates which to use, but 'only' The Chicago Manual of Style (7.59)
– user21032
Commented May 11, 2012 at 20:57

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