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An encyclopedia article about a work of fiction typically includes, but should never be limited to, a summary of the plot. This will give context to the sourced commentary that should also be present. The plot summary should be thorough yet concise, distilling a large amount of information into a brief and accessible format.
Plot summaries and character descriptions should be written in an out-of-universe style, presenting the narrative from an external real-world frame of reference from the characters or setting. For example, instead of starting a plot summary with "It is 2003", which puts the reader in the frame of reference of the work, start with "In 2003 ...
The reader is warned three or four times in as many sections that (a) the purpose of a plot summary is to explain the story, not to entertain the reader; (b) the summary should be as short as possible; and (c) it's okay to reorder events to make the plot clearer.
If possible, the page title should be the subject of the first sentence: [4] However, if the article title is merely descriptive—such as Electrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers—the title does not need to appear verbatim in the main text. Similarly, where an article title is of the type "List of ...", a clearer and more ...
Plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 and 700 words. The summary should not exceed this range unless the film's structure is unconventional, such as with non-linear storylines, or unless the plot is too complicated to summarize in this range. Discuss with other editors to determine if a summary cannot be contained within the ...
Sections of long articles should be spun off into their own articles, leaving summaries in their place. Summary sections are linked to the detailed article with a {{Main|name of detailed article}} or comparable template. To preserve links to the edit history of the moved text, the first edit summary of the new article links back to the original.
This page in a nutshell: Coverage of fictional topics should provide balanced coverage that includes both plot summary and real-world context. The coverage of a fictional work should not be a mere plot summary. A summary should facilitate substantial coverage of the work's real-world development, reception, and significance.
The name or names given in the first sentence does not always match the article title. This page gives advice on the contents of the first sentence, not the article title. By the design of Wikipedia's software, an article can have only one title. When this title is a name, significant alternative names for the topic should be mentioned in the ...