The elements of the platform, from the perspective of the publisher, are:

1. "Website": front-end as seen by the publisher's users/customers. Based on a standard feature-set and standard design that can be heavily customised.
2. "CloudPublish Admin Site": back-end as seen by the publisher. Cannot be customised.
3. "Shopify Admin": ecommerce back-end as seen by the publisher, if ecommerce is enabled.
4. "FTP Server": the location (using SFTP) where publishers upload PDF content and metadata.

The Website can be customised to switch off/on major areas of functionality. Currently, these are as follows (see the corresponding "Website" areas in the feature list below, for details):

• Books (whether books are present at all, or not)
• Journals (whether journals are present at all, or not)
• Subjects (requires books to be enabled)
• Series (requires books)
• Collections (requires books)
• Imprints (requires books)
• Contributors
• Pages
• Social Media links

The website navigation can be customised by allowing a "tree" to be optionally displayed for subjects, series, collections, journals, pages, and imprints.

The default number of items in a page of results can be customised.

The advanced search interface can be configured to enable/disable filtering by languages (e.g. if only English language content is available, this filter can be switched off)

Various other configuration options are available, and will be discussed with the publisher during the design phase of onboarding.

CloudPublish SaaS is fully-hosted and fully-managed, built on AWS. We use the EU (Ireland) data centre with multi-az failover. We require a single endpoint in the publisher's domain (e.g. "elibrary.publishername.com"). We will install an SSL certificate for this endpoint, and this endpoint will be the location of the Website. The underlying servers upon which the Website runs will be scaled to meet demand (and billed accordingly).

There is no access for the publisher to the underlying servers: the solution is "cloud-based" from the publisher's perspective.

Various messages within the platform are sent by email on behalf of the publisher (e.g., password reset emails). We require certain SPF records to be configured in the publisher's zone file for the domain used in the endpoint (see "Hosting") in order for these emails to be sent.

The design is flexible within the basic layout of Swiss. This means that interface elements such as buttons, fonts, etc can be styled to any preference, and on-page content such as carousels, custom images, and even embedded content can be added. However, the basic layout cannot be altered. The publisher has custom CSS and JS files, along with HTML-level access via the CMS (which allows styled content to be added to existing pages, e.g. the home page, and for new pages to be added within the basic fixed template).

The design (CSS) is built on Semantic. A standard / default design is the basis, which is then over-ridden / customised according to the requirements of the publisher, by CloudPublish. While this system is very flexible, it is not infinitely flexible, and the publisher may need to compromise with some requests. This will be made clear during the design phase where necessary and through dialogue.

SEO best practice is followed in page structure, and that each item has a unique SEO-friendly URL. An automatic sitemap facilitates robot crawling. A robots.txt prevents repetitive access. Canonical content is labelled as such.

We provide a matched DOM and Accessibility tree, using WAI-Aria best practices and Open Design principles to construct, organise and describe the application and allow keyboard, speech, switch, and screenreader interaction with all core functions of the site. We write our interfaces to gracefully degrade, providing the best experience possible for older browsers and alternative access technologies, and design them mobile first and responsively, with progressive enhancement, so they look great on modern browsers.

An Admin Site is provided, which allows management of customers, subscriptions, content, and other settings, along with export of key data.

Import existing customers and subscriptions based on an Excel file to our standard template. Publishers must use this standard file.

The Website can be presented with English, or German locales. The default is English only. The text strings in English can be completely customised and translated as required into German.

• Other locales may be added in future.
• The standard Thema translations into De are used and cannot be altered.

Recognise a user's institution from an IP address matching to a range, and don't require the user to select an institution. Compatible with EZProxy / proxy server access.

Recognise a user's institution from a matching referral URL, and don't require the user to select an institution. Occasionally this is a useful alternative to IP Address authentication.

Requires the publisher to have an OpenAthens SP licence. Shibboleth SP is included in OpenAthens SP.

Available as an alternative to OpenAthens, but has drawbacks if more than one federation is required - in which case OpenAthens should be used.

Our "share group" system allows hierarchical or shared-group access to content, e.g. for a consortium (parent-child relationship or group-buy relationship) or for a shared campus.

Personalisation allows for access to certain user-level features (bookmarks, bibliography, notes, etc.). It is automatic if Shibboleth / OpenAthens are used, but a user login is required in the case of IP or Referral URL authentication. The account in these cases is tied to an email address, which is also used for self-administration (password resets).

Allows private individuals to sign up for an account, which is based on an email address that is verified as part of the registration process. The email address is also used for self-administration (password resets)"

Allow some institution users to be marked as administrators (e.g. librarians), to access statistics, subscription data, user administration, and the ability to place orders on behalf of the institution.

• Optionally, these administrators can also access the same data (but not place orders) for users in other organisations, where connected by share group.

Content originating from PDF (aka "ePDF"). Requirements:

• Adobe 1.4 compatible
• Embedded fonts
• Graphics at print quality will render better (do not downsize)
• TOC will be generated from PDF bookmarks, which can be multi-level.
• Do not include the cover art.
• Books and Journal Articles must be supplied as single PDFs.
• Journal Issues and Chapters cannot be supplied as PDFs (they are instead derived from Books and Journal Articles).

Content covers are uploaded seperately along with PDFs and metadata. They should be in JPG format and high-res, without whitespace or cropmarks etc. They will be downsized for the requirements of the CloudPublish platform. Images must be in a standard portrait orientation, and will be scaled to fit standard widths. Aspect ratio will be maintained where practical.

DRM is classified as "soft" or "hard" (see below). A publisher must select one or the other as the default DRM. In some circumstances, a differing DRM method can be specified at the point of access.

CloudPublish partners with Adobe to deliver "hard" DRM via Adobe Content Server. It is possible to control (at the subscription or publisher level):

• amount of a book that can be printed
• amount of a book that can be copied/pasted
• the length of loan duration
• books can also be made available without a loan (i.e. permanently) but there is an additional per-download cost for this, and users may face difficulties downloading a second time if the first copy is lost (therefore, non-loan configuration is not recommended).

Visible watermarks are embedded in the PDF downloaded by the user:

• The watermarks identify the user, and the time and location of download.
• A variant watermark is used for Open Access content.
• It is possible to allow/disallow printing (but not the amount that can be printed).
• It is possible to allow/disallow copy/pasting (but not the amount that can be copied).
• The output is lower resolution than the source PDF, i.e. it is "web" quality rather than "print" quality.
• The file is encrypted, meaning that the watermark cannot be removed from the PDF non-destructively.

Content output in EPUB format is not supported.

Content is accessed online via the CloudPublish "eReader".

• Graphics are rendered in SVG format (falling back to PNG if SVG not supported in-browser).
• Text-only version available.
• Bookmarks, bibliographic tools, notes, highlights.
• The eReader interface can be customised with the publisher's logo.
• Note that eReader is currently provided in English only (i.e. not covered by the Localisation feature, q.v.).

Complete books, sold as ebooks (online/download) and optionally (additionally) as print books, if configured (see eCommerce section).

Chapters are extracts / slices from ebooks, and are available online/download (not print). Chapters can be created using the CloudPublish Admin Site, either based on the TOC or any arbitrary page range, and can overlap.

Single journal articles, sold online/download only (usually as part of a journal subscription).

Complete journal issues (i.e. a set of linked Journal Articles).

Complete journals (i.e. a set of linked Journal Issues, although a Journal can exist without any Issues or Articles.).

For books only, 2.1 or 3.0 compatibility. The master ProductIdentifier should be the same as the ISBN used in the PDF filename. This means it is normally the eISBN. Print versions, if supplied at all, must be included as related ISBNs, and not as separate Product sections.

• Thema subject classification for each item is mandatory.

For journals (and issues, articles). We can import from Atypon (NLM 1.2) in the first instance (for migration), and/or JATS (NLM 1.3).

Search Details

1. Quick search: searches ebook and journal metadata based on keywords.
2. Advanced search: as quick search, but with filters and options (availability, series, subject, language, publication date; restrict to author or full text). Ranking is by score / relevance (default), publication date, title, or volume.
3. Full-text search: search within a single item, or within a specified range of items (or the whole catalogue). This uses Amazon CloudSearch. Ranking is by score / relevance only.

Subject taxonomy browsing, based on Thema codes and hierarchy.

• CMS content allows for customised landing pages at any level of the Thema hierarchy.

Browse ebooks by collection (the Admin Site allows arbitrary ebook collections to be created/managed and optionally made public).

• CMS content allows for customised landing pages for each collection.
• Unless set to public, collections are hidden from the website.

Browse ebooks by series.

• CMS content allows for customised landing pages for each series.

Browse ebooks by imprint.

• CMS content allows for customised landing pages for each imprint.

Browse journals by title, volume, and issue.

• CMS content allows for customised landing pages at journal, issue, or article level.

Browse ebooks and journals by contributor (i.e. authors and editors).

• CMS content can be added to create a customised page for each author.
• Contributors are automatically extracted from metadata.

Arbitrary pages can be created in the Admin Site CMS. Optionally these can be linked from the main navigation. Pages can be complete pages (e.g. a privacy policy), links to external sites (e.g. a WordPress blog), or links to internal pages (e.g. a specific series landing page).

If credentials / account details are supplied, social sharing buttons will be enabled for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Additionally, content can be shared via an email link.

Each product (Journal, Issue, Article, Book, Chapter) has a detail page. This is accessible via one of the browsing methods listed above (e.g. subjects, series, etc.), or from a search result.

• CMS content can be added to customise the product detail page for any product.
• The product detail shows the following:
• product metadata (e.g. ISBN, number of pages, DOI, etc.)
• product and contributor descriptions (from metadata)
• marketing descriptions / blurbs (if supplied in metadata)
• the cover art
• the TOC (if available)
• a navigation breadcrumb based on subject taxonomy
• subjects and keyword tags (if supplied in metadata)
• a "search inside" widget (full-text search within this item)
• a toolbar allowing: favourite, share (email), add to cart, preview, read now (as applicable)

Note: any HTML in product metadata (e.g. in marketing descriptions) will be rendered here. It is partially sanitised but care should be nonetheless be taken when sending metadata that contains HTML.

Our templates are coded to follow WCAG 2.0 best practice guidlines. We also offer support for user generated content.

The CMS editor allows for custom HTML (and CSS/JS via publisher-specific files) to be displayed within the master template, and linked to almost any item. Also allows for arbitrary pages to be created, and to optionally be included in the main navigation (see "Pages", q.v.).

Displays references for an item, based on DOI. Requires the publisher to be a CrossRef member, and to supply us with API credentials.

Displays cited-by information for an item, based on DOI. Requires the publisher to be a CrossRef member, and to supply us with API credentials.

Drive CrossRef updates from the CloudPublish Admin Site, based on DOI. Requires the publisher to be a CrossRef member, and to supply us with API credentials.

Content items can be marked as "Open Access", meaning that neither a subscription or login is needed to access the content. The standard Open Access logo will be displayed.

Allow users to save arbitrary lists of items from search results, and for the lists to be downloadable in CSV format.

Notes, highlights, and bookmarks from eReader are accessible outside eReader.

Citations from eReader, Lists, and any individual item can be saved as a bibliographic reference (or list of references) in a choice of the standard formats.

Allow books to be flagged as a "favourite", to appear on a list of favourite items.

Subscriptions are configured based on a single item (which can be a Book, Chapter, Journal Article, Journal Issue, or Journal). The following can always be configured for a subscription, which allows for flexible models:

• copies (or unlimited copies)
• allow printing (with or without restriction, except for soft DRM q.v.)
• allow downloads
• allow online access
• start date restriction
• end (expiry) date restriction

Each of these parameters has a default setting at the publisher level.

Note that, while Collections can be converted into Subscriptions, there is no link between the two. Therefore changes to a Collection that has been used to create Subscriptions will not be reflected in those Subscriptions.

Perpetual or time-limited subscription, either for unlimited copies or for a specified number of copies (i.e. based on the parameters listed under "General" above). This is the default / standard subscription model.

Subscription to one or more specified volumes of a journal, with parameters as above. This functions as a "restriction" of a standard Journal subscription.

Subscription to whole catalogue (disregarding copies), optionally for a fixed period.

Allows one-time tokens to be generated from the Admin Site, which allow for a fixed number of accesses of a single item (Book, Chapter, or Journal Article only).

• user login is not required for a One-Time Token to be used.
• access can be configured with the same parameters as for a Subscription (q.v.).

CloudPublish is a Shopify partner, and all eCommerce functionality is based on Shopify. The publisher will be supplied with a configured Shopify account, connected with CloudPublish via our private app.

• The ability to purchase content is restricted to private users and institution administrators only (i.e., anonymous users, not-logged-in users, and ordinary institution users cannot place items into a cart, although prices/offers will be visible).
• Choice of payment solution provider ("PSP") is left to the publisher, subject to the options / restrictions in Shopify.

Allow private users to buy subscriptions, with online payment and instant fulfilment.

Allow an admin user to place an order for multiple items. If allowed within Shopify, these orders can be settled by invoice or online payment.

An "Offer" is simply a specific product (e.g. a book) offered at a specific price (e.g. institution price). They are configured in Shopify and are linked by ID and product type (Book, Chapter, Journal, Journal Issue, Journal Article) to CloudPublish.

• Products will be exported automatically to Shopify when they are received (in metadata) by CloudPublish.
• Offers are configured in the publisher's Shopify Admin area. These offers are then pulled through and displayed alongside the corresponding content in the website.

Discount Codes can be set up in the publisher's Shopify Admin. They can then be applied in the checkout (which is Shopify-hosted).

A shopping cart displays items that have been added to an order (cart), but not yet checked out.

The checkout process is handled within Shopify, including tax rates, which should be set up according to the publisher's needs within Shopify Admin.

Once a purchase is completed within Shopify, a message is sent to CloudPublish which creates the corresponding Subscriptions along with a transaction summary to be displayed in the user's account (private users or institution administrators only).

If enabled, the message sent back to CloudPublish upon successful checkout can trigger a Turpin fulfilment for print items. There is currently no other fulfilment of print items in CloudPublish.

COUNTER 5 usage stats can be downloaded in CSV format by institution administrators. The following COUNTER 5 reports are supported:

• Book reports 1, 3, and 5
• Journal reports 1, 2, and 5

MARC data for single items or all holdings can be downloaded by institution administrators.

Holdings data can be harvested via OAI-PMH (Dublin Core format).

Allows the customer's holdings data to be downloaded in CSV format. For ebooks, this uses the KBART table structure.

Provide usage data to users' administrators in CSV format:

• item access (books)
• item access (journals)
• item turnaways (e.g. insufficient copies available)
• Top 5 e-books usage
• Top 5 articles usage

Multiple imprints: usage data 'per imprint' can be provided.

An RSS feed containing newly published items.