Updated 25-November-2021
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In general, the plot explains the sequence of events that takes place within a scripted, or non-scripted narrative.
On IMDb, there are three plot types - Outline, Summary, and Synopsis and these all provide details relating to a story, but vary in length and depth.
Before providing specific guidelines for Outlines, Summaries or Synopses, there are some general rules that apply to all submissions for things you should, and shouldn't do:
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If your submission contains any items from the Don'ts list then it may be rejected by an editor upon review - let's look at the more specific guidelines by the type of plot.
Outlines provide a brief description of the storyline to help inform people of the events taking place in the title.
A maximum of one outline is allowed per title and locale - rather than deleting the live one and/or adding a new one, please modify the existing item instead.
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Should be shorter than 239 characters - any longer and these will automatically turn into summaries. |
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Should not include spoilers |
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Should not include actors names |
Unlike most other data types, they can be submitted in a range of different languages via IMDb Answers or the normal contribution experience explained below.
Update (November 2021) - Author bylines are no longer available for plot outlines.
Summaries provide a much deeper description and analysis of the storyline from start to finish.
IMDb reserves the right to select which plot summary to use. Up to five summaries per title may be kept, but only if they present a differing viewpoints.
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Write in English, regardless of the language of the original film |
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Should be longer than 239 characters - any shorter and these will automatically turn into outlines. |
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Do include actors' names, but only for principal cast members and only for completed titles. Best practice here is to link to the Cast name page. This policy is voluntary (i.e. summaries can still be submitted and accepted without actors' names). |
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Do keep your By: line consistent if you write more than one summary. You'll never make it into the top 20 if you have 5 variations of your name/email address. You may enter Anonymous (or, leave it blank). We recommend the format Your Name <email@example.com> if you want to include your email address, although please note it will be published. |
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Do not include full spoilers. (Some very small spoilers will be allowed). |
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Do not overwrite By: lines if you make corrections (spelling, grammar, etc). |
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Do not substantively change summaries if you disagree with them - instead please submit a new one with your own byline. |
A synopsis should be a detailed description of the entire plot of the title, including spoilers, so users who haven't seen a movie or missed an episode of a series can read everything about the title.
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Write in English, regardless of the language of the original film |
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Do feel free to include spoilers. |
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Do include principal cast members names if you want - best practice is to link to the Cast name page. |
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On a parent series, provide an overview of the entire series followed by any main events per season under season headings. |
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Do not include commentary along with the exclusive details of the story of the film. |
As with the majority of data types, you can submit plot updates via the 
button at the bottom of a title 
page.
From here, find the heading Plot & Quotes from the list, and use the drop-down option to
choose if you'd like to add, update, or delete some information.
Once you've chosen everything you'd like to update, scroll to the bottom of the page and press 
to progress onto the next stage where you let us know the actual information you're
trying to add.
After submitting your request, it should take between 12 - 48 hours to appear on the website - you can track your request from your contribution history to find it's current status and estimated completion time.
You can submit multi-lingual plots via IMDb Answers or the normal contribution experience mentioned above - here are example quick links for popular movies missing plots: