I'm adding data for the first time; what are the top five things I should know?

First, you should know that you have our sincere thanks. We greatly appreciate any data our users contribute. Here are a few general pieces of information you should know before submitting:

• New additions are not processed immediately.
  You can learn more about our processing times here.


• Only eligible credits can be added to the database.
  You can learn more about eligible credits here. To add professional information, which may include a performer profile and guild information and credits that are not eligible to be included in an IMDb page (such as stage work, commercials etc), please visit IMDbPro.com.


• Please read all the messages on the data update forms carefully, especially those on colored backgrounds.
  The messages tell you how to fix whatever possible problem they are warning you about.


• All titles include the year of first public exhibition as part of the title
  In the case of a TV series, that is the first year, regardless of how long the series has been running. Learn more about this here.


• A title must be of "general public interest" to be listed in the database
  That means there is a fairly detailed set of eligibility criteria for a title to be listed.