Official Publications Online is a subscription service from TSO, which brings together legislation, Parliamentary, and Command and House publications in a single, searchable online library. It also offers:

Advanced search of text of publication PDFs and TSO bibliographic metadata
Customisable email alerting on the day of publication
Maintained access and persistent links
TSO subscription management functionality

If you are not a current subscriber, please contact us for further information.

2 How do I set up my subscription?

If you have chosen to access Official Publications Online by username and password, you will receive a Customer Number and an Online Registration Code from TSO.

Having received this information, go to http://www.officialpublicationsonline.co.uk/account/register and submit the Customer Number. If this number is found to be valid, a registration page is displayed, where you need to enter the Online Registration Code and define a username, password and email address for your account. Passwords must be a minimum of six characters.

3 Can I have a trial run before taking a full subscription?

Yes, a one-month trial is available. Please see How can I obtain a trial account? for further information.

4 How do I give general feedback on Official Publications Online?

If you have a general comment or query concerning Official Publications Online, please contact us using our feedback form.

5 What information is available from the Home page?

Having accessed Official Publications Online, the Home page is displayed. This page provides access to all areas of the site via a navigation menu, together with a quick search facility and a What's New section.

6 How is the 'What's New' section organised?

The 'What's New' section shows the last five titles (within a user's subscription) to be uploaded to Official Publications Online. It should be noted that these are organised by date of upload, therefore these documents are not necessarily the five most recent publication dates (to view documents according to publication date, you can use the My Library option).

Within the 'What's New' section, each document is listed with a date (upload date) and title. Each title is presented as a hyperlink; click a link to view summary information and access options to download or purchase the publication.

7 What is the 'There's more: see all publications' link for?

If more than five titles (within a user's subscription) have been uploaded during the last seven days, a 'There's more: see all publications' link is displayed beneath the 'What's New' section. Select this link to access the Browse My Library page, listing all titles in order of publication date (latest first).

8 How do I change what is in My Library?

My Library contains all publications to which you are currently subscribed. You can review the content of your subscription at any time by visiting the My Account section of the service, where your classifications are displayed.

To revise your subscription requirements, please contact Customer Services.

9 How do I browse My Library?

Click on ‘My Library’ in the top navigation bar. From here, a series of dropdown lists are provided, allowing you to define which publications to view.

General criteria can be selected for:

'Subject'
'Publication Type'
'Corporate Author'

You can set as many (or as few) of these fields as required, before moving to 'Publication date' criteria. The following (mutually exclusive) date options are available:

Selecting a year from the 'Publication Year' field
Choose to view titles published 'Today', in the 'Current Week', in the 'Last Week', in the 'Current Month' or in the 'Last Month'
Enter a date range using 'From' and 'To' fields (dates are entered in DD/MM/YYYY - for example, 23/08/2009)

Having set required criteria, click ‘Go’ to show publications which match your given criteria. To list all publications within your subscription, simply leave each of the dropdown lists set to 'All' and click 'Go'.

Publications in ‘My Library’ are listed with summary information showing Corporate Author, Publication Type, Date, Subject and Title. You can sort the list by any of these headings, using a set of small up/down arrows associated with each column.

To sort the list by a particular heading, click the up/down arrows associated with that heading. The list is sorted by that heading in ascending order, and the double arrows change to a single 'up' arrow. To reverse the sort order, click this arrow again.

10 What search options are available?

There are two methods of searching Official Publications Online.

In the top navigation bar, there is a Search box, which can be used to perform a quick search, based on bibliographic information associated with publications. Alternatively, you can search on a combination of criteria, using advanced search options.

11 How do I use the quick Search facility?

To perform a quick search based on information found in bibliographic information associated with publications, enter the required term in the search box (in the navigation bar) and click 'Go'.

Search criteria fields are not case sensitive - for example, searching for 'lords' returns the same results as searching for 'LORDS' or 'Lords'.

When a quick search is performed, the following bibliographic data fields are searched, with different priorities:

High priority fields:

Title
Corporate Author
Personal Author
Series

Low priority fields:

Subject
Publication Type
Publication Year
Publication Abstract
Text content in PDF

You can also specify an ISBN number (13 digits) in the quick search box. If a given search term is found in a high priority field, that record will be ranked higher in the list of search results.

A search term can be a single word or multiple words. If multiple words are specified and separated with a space, the space is treated as an AND condition. For example, entering 'House Lords' would only return items where the word 'House' and the word 'Lords' is found.

Alternatively, multiple words can be entered with an OR condition. For example, entering 'House OR Lords' would any items where the word 'HOUSE' or 'LORDS' are found.

Having performed a quick search, any matched publications are listed, showing summary information and whether or not you are subscribed. From here you can:

Click the title of a document to view further information for the publication
Save the search for future use

12 How do I use the Advanced Search facility?

The 'Advanced Search' option (from the navigation menu) allows you to search both bibliographic information and the full text of documents.

To search for text within the content of publications, enter a search term in the ‘Advanced search text’ box. Search criteria fields are not case sensitive - for example, searching for 'danger' returns the same results as searching for 'DANGER' or 'Danger'.

A search term can be a single word or multiple words. If multiple words are specified and separated with a space, the space is treated as an AND condition. For example, entering 'House Lords' would return any items where the words 'HOUSE' and 'LORDS' are found.

Alternatively, multiple words can be entered with an OR condition. For example, entering 'House OR Lords' would return items where the word 'House' or the word 'Lords' is found.

Additionally, you can:

Use dropdown lists to set 'Publication type' and 'Subject classification' criteria.
Set date criteria by choosing a year of publication from the dropdown list, or specify a date range.
Specify an ISBN or author using free text fields, or select an author from the dropdown list

You can complete as many of these fields as you like, then click 'Search'.

Having performed an advanced search, any matched publications are listed, showing summary information and whether or not you are subscribed. From here you can:

Click the title of a document to view further information for the publication
Save the search for future use

13 How do I save a search?

If you need to perform a particular search on a regular basis, you can define required criteria and save it for future use.

To do this, set required criteria for a quick or advanced search and click ‘Go’ to display search results.

Beneath the list of search results, click the ‘Save this search’ button: this enables you to save the search criteria just used (you will see a summary of this criteria displayed as ‘Current search’). Choose a name for this search so it can be easily identified when you access your list of saved searches.

If required, you can also choose to be alerted by email when a publication that meets the defined search criteria is published. To do this, select the ‘Save as an email alert’ check box.

Click ‘Save’.

Note: You can only save a search if you have logged in with a username and password. If you accessed the system via IP recognition, you will be prompted to log in with your username and password.

14 How do I access my saved searches?

To access your saved searches, select 'My Library' from navigation menu and then choose ‘Saved Searches’.

A list of saved searches is displayed. From here, you can re-perform a search by selecting the search name, or remove a saved search using the 'Delete this Search' option.

15 What information is available on a publication page?

Information displayed on the publication page provides key bibliographic data about the publication, including:

Series ref.: this gives a series reference for the publication, e.g. the Command No. or the SI No.
Corporate author: this describes the author or Sponsor of the document, e.g. Ministry of Justice
Publication year: this gives the year that the document was published
Publication type: this describes the series of document type, e.g. Command Paper
Abstract: created by TSO’s expert Bibliographic Department, this gives a brief description of the contents of the publication

16 How do I download the PDF?

Each publication page (to which you are subscribed) contains a thumbnail image of the publication cover and a 'Download PDF' option. Click this option to download the file to your computer. To open this file, a PDF reader is required - for example, Acrobat Reader.

If you are not subscribed to a publication, the download option is not available.

17 How do I purchase a hard copy of a publication?

To purchase a print copy of the publication, access the publication page for your chosen title. Beneath the cover image, select the ‘Buy Print Copy’ option.

This will take you to the publication listing on the TSO Online Bookshop, where you can continue with your purchase: your Official Publications Online subscriber discount will be added when you add the publication to your shopping basket.

Note that the option to purchase hard copies of a publication is only available for 'super users' (i.e. users with administrative permissions). If you are not a 'super user', you need to contact that person to purchase the publication on your behalf. Similarly, if you are not subscribed to a publication, the purchase option is not available.

Alternatively, you can purchase hard copy by emailing Customer Services on opoCustomerServices@tso.co.uk

18 What if I access a publication to which I am not subscribed?

If you access a publication to which you are not subscribed, it is not possible to download or buy that publication.

If you are a 'super user' (i.e. a user with administrative permissions), an option is available to 'Subscribe Now'. You can use this option to contact Customer Services regarding your subscription. If you do not have administrative permissions and you wish to change your subscription to include new publications, please ask the 'super user' for your system to contact Customer Services.

19 How can I view a list of classifications within my subscription?

All titles on Official Publications Online are assigned to classification groups and sub groups.

An example of a classification group is '09 : Fisheries'. Within this group, there are three sub classifications:

'09-01 Freshwater fisheries'
'09-02 Sea fisheries'
'09-03 Fisheries general'.

Each of these sub classifications contains any number of lower level classifications - for example, '09-01 Freshwater fisheries' includes:

'09-01-002 Freshwater fisheries - all Public General Acts'
'09-01-003 Freshwater fisheries - all Bills of both Houses of Parliament'
'09-01-006 Freshwater fisheries - all Command Papers'

To view a list of classifications within your current subscription, select '`My Account'. When you select this option, a list of your classifications is displayed; it is also available using the 'Classifications' sub menu option within 'My Account'.

Remember that this list only includes classifications within your current subscription. If required, you can choose to download a file which contains a list of all available classifications.

20 How can I download a list of all available classifications?

To download a list of all classification groups within Official Publications Online, select 'My Account' and then 'Classifications'. A list of classifications within your current subscription is displayed, but at the top of this list (on the right-hand side), a hyperlink is available to 'Download all available publication classifications'.

Select this link to download a Portable Document Format (PDF) document, which contains a list of all available classification groups. To open this file, a PDF reader is required - for example, Acrobat Reader.

21 How can I keep up to date with new content on Official Publications Online?

There are two ways that you can keep up to date with new content when it is published on Official Publications Online:

Define email alerts
Add RSS feeds to your news reader

22 How do I set up email alerts?

If you are interested in publications that meet a certain set of criteria, you can define alerts to ensure that you receive an email when a new publication becomes available, which matches that criteria.

To create a new alert, you should first perform a quick or advanced search, to obtain a list of existing publications for the required criteria.

Beneath the search results, click the ‘Save this search’ option (in order to create an alert, you must also create a saved search). Choose a name for this alert (the name entered here is applied to both the alert and the saved search) and select the ‘Save as an email alert’ option.

Click ‘Save’.

Note: You can only set up alerts if you have logged in with a username and password. If you accessed the system via IP recognition, you will be prompted to log in with your username and password. If you do not have a username and password, please contact the 'super user' for your system, who can set one up for you.

23 How do I access my existing alerts?

To access existing alerts, select 'My Library' from navigation menu and then choose ‘Email Alerts’.

A list of existing alerts is displayed. From here, you can choose to delete an alert but leave the corresponding saved search in place, or remove both the alert and its corresponding saved search.

24 How do I change email settings for my alerts?

Options for adjusting email settings for alerts can be found by selecting 'My Library' from the navigation menu, followed by 'My Preferences'.

25 How do I set up an RSS feed?

RSS feeds are good way of keeping up to date with new publications on Official Publications Online.

To use this facility, you will need news reader software, or a browser-based news reader. With this in place, all you need to do is add required feeds from Official Publications Online.

To do this, select 'My Library' from navigation menu and then choose ‘RSS Feeds’. From here, a list of available subject areas is displayed - you can simply click on the orange feed button and drag it into your news reader, or copy and paste the URL of a into your news reader.

Feeds are updated whenever a publication is published in a subject area, so you can see all the day's publishing even if it's outside of your Official Publications Online subscription.

Note: You can only set up RSS feeds if you have logged in with a username and password. If you accessed the system via IP recognition, you will be prompted to log in with your username and password. If you do not have a username and password, please contact the 'super user' for your system, who can set one up for you.

26 How do I change my preferences?

Email preferences can be changed by selecting 'My Library' and then 'My Preferences'. From here, you can:

Specify an email address for your email alerts
Choose whether email alerts are received daily or weekly
Choose whether emails are received in HTML or plain text

27 How do I brand the Home page with my own organisation's logo?

If you are a 'super user' for an organisation where a number of people access Official Publications Online, you may wish to brand the Home page with your own organisation's logo. To do this, navigate to the Home page and select the 'Upload Logo' link in the top right-hand corner. From here, select the 'Browse' button and select the logo image file from your local or network drive.

Logo image files must meet the following requirements:

File type jpg, gif or tif
Maximum image file size: 10240 bytes
Maximum image height: 70 pixels
Maximum image width: 300 pixels

28 I have forgotten my username and/or password - what should I do?

If you have forgotten your password, you can use the 'Forgot your username or password?' link on the Home page (beneath the 'Username' and 'Password' fields) to access the 'Forgot username or Password' page. Here, you need to specify the email address for your account; having confirmed this information, your username and a temporary password will be sent to your email address. You should then log in using the temporary password, and then change your password having accessed the system.

If a user makes five unsuccessful login attempts, their account is automatically locked and must be unlocked by a 'super user'.

If you are a 'super user' and you have forgotten your password, please contact Customer Services.

29 How do I change my password?

If you have already logged into Official Publications Online and wish to change your password, select 'My Library' and then 'My Preferences'. From here, select the 'Change Password' link (at the bottom of the page) to access the 'Change Password' form. From here, you need to provide your existing password, and then enter the new password required.

30 How can I obtain a trial account?

To request a trial account, please contact us - you will need to provide your name, telephone number and email address. Once your account has been set up, you will receive a welcome email containing a Customer Number and an Online Registration Code.

Having submitted this information, your trial account is ready to use.

31 Does a trial account have any restrictions?

There are no restrictions associated with trial account users - all Official Publications Online functionality is available.

Any saved searches and email alerts are preserved when a trial account is upgraded to a full subscription.

32 How long does a trial account last?

Trial accounts run for one month. For example, if a trial starts on the 14th August 2009, it will end at midnight on the 14th September 2009.

33 What happens when my trial expires?

You will receive a reminder email from TSO, one week prior to the expiry of your trial period.

Attempting to log in after your trial has expired prompts the following message: 'Your trial has expired. Please contact TSO'. Access to all other areas of the website is denied once a trial has expired.

Please use details provided to contact TSO and upgrade to a full subscription.

34 How do I upgrade my trial account to a full subscription?

A trial account can be upgraded to a full subscription at any time during or after the trial period.

Having contacted TSO to confirm your subscription, you will receive an email which includes a link to the 'Upgrade Account' page (located within the 'My Account' section of the website).

Having accessed the 'Upgrade Account' page, log in using your trial username and password, then follow on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade.

Note that it is always best to use the 'Upgrade Account' option rather than creating a new account, since this option ensures that any saved searches and email alerts are preserved.

35 What concurrent network licensing options are available?

A concurrent network license is a license which is issued to an organisation, allowing multiple users (within that organisation) to access Official Publications Online. In this situation, one person is designated as a 'super user', and is responsible for adding and maintaining other users within the organisation.

While the number of users who can access the site at any one time is limited to the number of licenses purchased, an unlimited number of usernames can be created for saved searches and email alerts: users on concurrent licenses will be prompted to create a personal username and password when setting up saved searches and email alerts.

Concurrent network licenses are set up so that users can access the system by:

IP recognition
Specifying a username and password

36 What is IP Address recognition?

All computers on a network have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address; as such, this address can be used to identify computers on the network.

IP recognition allows users to access Official Publications Online, without the need to enter a username and password. When a user enters the URL for Official Publications Online, the IP address for their computer is automatically checked and (provided the IP address is found to be active) they are free to browse content no the site. The 'super user' for your account is responsible for maintaining the list of IP addresses which are activated for the subscription.

Note that some Official Publications Online functionality requires a username and password - for example, saving a search or setting up alerts/RSS feeds. If a user has accessed Official Publications Online via IP recognition and selects an option that requires a username and password, they are prompted to supply this information. Therefore, if you are utilising IP recognition but feel it is possible that users may want to do more than just browse publications, you may wish to set up a new user account as well adding an IP address for each user.

37 We have a concurrent network license using IP recognition: how do I set up a new IP address?

In order for a user to access Official Publications Online via their IP address, that address must be added to a list of valid IP addresses for the organisation.

The 'super user' for the organisation should select ‘My Account’ from the navigation menu, and then select ‘IP Addresses’. A list of existing IP addresses is displayed; beneath this list you will find options to 'Add My IP Address' and 'Add New IP Address'.

To add the IP address for the computer you are currently using, select the 'Add My IP Address' option. Alternatively, you can enter a different address by selecting the 'Add New IP Address' option.

38 We have a concurrent network license using username and password: how do I set up a new user?

If IP recognition is not being used, all users within an organisation must have a valid username and password to access Official Publications Online.

The 'super user' for an organisation can add new users to the system by selecting 'My Account' from the navigation menu and then 'Account Users'. A list of existing users is displayed; beneath this list you will find the option to 'Add New User'. Select this option to add a new user to the system; you will need to provide the following information for each account:

Username
Password
Email Address (once a user has logged in, they can change this password at any time, via their own preferences)

When setting a user password, it must be at least six characters.

Note that some Official Publications Online functionality requires a username and password, even if your organisation utilises IP recognition for access (for example, saving a search or setting up alerts/RSS feeds). If a user has accessed Official Publications Online via IP recognition and selects an option which requires a username and password, they are prompted to supply this information. Therefore, if you are utilising IP recognition but feel it is possible that users may want to do more than just browse publications, they will need an account to be set up using the method described here, or via self registration.

39 What is Self Registration?

If you are a 'super user', setting up account users within a large organisation can be a laborious task. In this situation, you may wish to consider using self registration. Self registration is a process where the 'super user' creates a 'company key', which can be distributed to users in their organisation so that they can create their own accounts.

40 How do I generate a Self Registration company key?

To generate a 'company key' for distribution within an organisation, a 'super user' should select 'My Account' from the navigation menu and then 'Self Registration'. Here, ensure that the Enable users self registration' check box is selected, and enter your required self register key in the 'Self Register Key' field. The self register key can be any combination of alpha and numeric characters.

You should then choose whether to disable this key after a given number of days, or allow it to be used indefinitely.

Having saved this information, your Self Registration Key and Customer Number should be distributed to users, who can use it to create their own account.

41 I have received Self Registration details from our super user - what do I do with them?

If you have received self registration information (Customer Number and a Self Registration Key) from a 'super user' within your organisation, go to http://www.officialpublicationsonline.co.uk and select the 'Register' link. When prompted, enter the Customer Number (provided by your 'super user') and select 'Submit'.

If this number is found to be valid, a registration page is displayed, where you need to enter the Self Registration Key (provided by your 'super user') and define a username, password and email address for your account. Passwords must be a minimum of six characters.

42 How do I unlock a user account?

If a user makes five unsuccessful login attempts, their account is automatically locked and must be unlocked by a 'super user'.

To unlock an account, the 'super user' should select 'My Account' from the navigation menu and then 'Account Users'. A list of existing users is displayed and you can see whether an account is 'Locked' in the 'Status' column on the right-hand side. If an account is shown as 'Locked', click the 'Unlock' link in the 'Options' column for this account.

If you are a 'super user' and you have forgotten your password, please contact Customer Services.

43 Crown Copyright

Guidance on Crown Copyright can be found on the OPSI website.