I

i.e.

Don’t follow it with punctuation. Do introduce it with a comma and a space, so: underage customers, i.e. under 18s.

initials

No full stops after initials (e.g. CS Lewis) or initialisms (e.g. RSPCA).

initialisms

Some common initialisms you may encounter:

  • APPG - All-Party Parliamentary Group
  • CBR - community-based rehabilitation
  • CSO - civil society organisation
  • DPO - disabled people’s organisation
  • GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation
  • GPZL - Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy
  • GOADC - Guernsey Overseas Aid Development Commission
  • ILEP - International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations
  • JOA - Jersey Overseas Aid
  • NGO - non-governmental organisation
  • NTD - neglected tropical disease
  • OPD - outpatients’ department
  • SDGs - Sustainable Development Goals
  • SHG - self-help group
  • VTC - vocational training centre
  • WHO - World Health Organization

integral mission

God’s mission to redeem and restore the whole of creation, bringing life in all its fullness (spiritually as well as emotionally and physically), is known as integral mission. We are called to participate in this mission.

internally displaced person (IDP)

Someone who has fled their home, but remains within their country of residence.

See also refugee.

italics

For publication names, use italics and capitalise words apart from transition words (The Guardian, Church in Focus).

Names of organisations (e.g. The Leprosy Mission, Oxfam etc) are not italicised. Likewise, church packs (e.g. Big Quiz, Big Tea Party), campaign names (Greater Heights, Unconditional), and events (New Wine) are not italicised.

If individual words are italicised, check punctuation (even full stops) is not in italics, even if the previous words are – it’ll show. So: I bought The Times, The Observer and The Independent.

If a whole sentence is in italics, its punctuation should be too.

Headlines and sub-headings are not in italics.

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