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There is no universal set length for a plot summary, though it should not be excessively long. Well-written plot summaries describe the major events in the work, linking them together while minimizing the less-important scenes. The Manual of Style provides general guidance on length, with allowances for exceptions.
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.
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 ...
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 ...
In a long plot summary, this can be removed. "The masked killer crashes the teens' party. In the resulting hysteria, he decapitates Bob with a machete, stabs Betty with a Bowie knife three times in the heart (just like Betty's father did to the killer's mother), and chases after Jane after she escapes through the back door."
If the title has a parenthetical disambiguator, such as Mercury (planet), the parenthetical should be omitted in the text. [G] Dates and locations should be included in the first sentence if they help the reader to quickly determine if they're reading the right article. For instance, in the article Spanish–American War, the text of the lead ...
On the first page of the document, the author's name and contact information appears in the top left corner. In the top right corner of the first page, the word count appears. [1] Subsequent pages only have text in the top right corner. This text includes: the author's name, a slash, an abbreviated title, another slash, and the page number. [1]
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.