Template:Improve plot

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This template is a self-reference. This template should not be substituted.

Usage

Add this template to the topic of the "Plot" section of an article with a plot summary that is insufficient. This may be because only a token summary was ever written, or because a summary has become insufficient over time, e.g. as successive seasons of a TV show have changed the overall plot outline of the series. Another common plot summarization error in articles on TV, novel, game, etc. series is to provide the plot of the first installment in great detail as if the article were the article on that episode or book rather than about the series as a whole.

This template can and should be dated:

{{More plot|date=October 2026}}

A custom reason can be provided:

{{More plot|reason=the summary needs to explain the ending.}}

This template can refer to a section (or another article part), instead of the default article. Do this by adding a <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|1= parameter (or an unnumbered one):

{{More plot|1=section|date=October 2026}}

{{More plot|paragraph|date=October 2026}}

The words "plot summary" in "needs an improved plot summary" can be replaced with something to better match the article in question, such as "Premise section". This parameter must be numbered:

{{More plot|2=Premise section|date=October 2026}}

{{More plot|1=Section|2=premise summary|date=October 2026}}

The <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|plural= parameter can be used to change the default text to "plot summaries" and remove the "an" before "improved":

{{More plot|plural=y|date=October 2026}}

{{More plot|1=Section|2=premise summaries|plural=y|date=October 2026}}

The <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" inline style="display: none;" />|noimproved= parameter can be used to remove "an improved", in case a section is tagged at the top for lacking multiple plot summaries:

{{More plot|1=section|2=plot summaries for episodes 9–13|noimproved=y|date=October 2026}}

The template will categorize tagged articles in the proper, dated subcategory of Category:Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention.

<templatedata> { "params": { "date": { "label": "Month and year", "type": "date", "autovalue": "{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}", "suggested": true, "example": "September 2001" }, "plural": { "label": "Plural?", "description": "Changes \"plot summary\" to \"plot summaries\" and alters associated language in the template", "type": "boolean", "default": "n" }, "reason": { "label": "Reason for template", "description": "Additional details on why the template is in place", "example": "information about the ending is missing from the summary", "type": "string" } }, "description": "This template adds a page banner. It notifies editors that the plot of an article of a work of fiction needs to be improved.", "format": "inline" } </templatedata>

See also

• {{All plot}}, if an article consists entirely or almost entirely of a plot summary
• {{Hook}}, if a plot summary is more like a listings magazine hook, or a jacket blurb from a novel.
• {{No plot}}, if no plot summary exists
• {{Improve plot}}, if plot summary is insufficient
• {{Long plot}}, if plot summary is too long
• {{In-universe}}
• {{Fiction}}
• Wikipedia:Plot-only description of fictional works
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Improve plot/doc. (edit | history)
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox (create | mirror) and testcases (create) pages.
Add categories to the /doc subpage. Subpages of this template.