Open Access Australasia provides readers with the different colors of open access and recommends using description language when discussing the various types of journals.

If authors have signed a Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA), publisher's policy will determine which version of an article can be archived in a  repository. Authors can check their CTA for this information or the publisher’s website. SHERPA/RoMEO is another resource that provides publisher copyright policies and self-archiving information.

• Green OA 
  • Authors can archive their paper in an full-text journal or subject repository or in their institutional repository.
  • The version archived is usually the final author version as accepted for publication.
  • Preprints fall under Green OA.
  • There are no additional charges to paid.
  • Publisher embargo period may apply (usually 12 months).
• Gold OA
  • The final publisher version is open access via the journal website without any embargo period.
  • The publication has a license intended to maximize reuse, such as CC-BY.
  • The author(s) may be subject to paid an additional article processing charge (APC) by the publisher.
• Bronze OA
  • Journal free to read online but doesn't have a license.
  • Not generally sharable or reusable.
• Diamond/Platinum OA
  • Journals that publish OA but do not charge the authors APCs.
  • Usually funded by institutions, advertising, philanthropy, etc. 
• Hybrid OA
  • Publishers offer a combination of subscription-based and open access.
  • Authors may pay a fee to ensure their paper is open and can be access immediately.
• Black OA
  • Illegal open access.
  • Pirated versions of articles.

Many individuals and groups benefits from Open Access to include:  

• Clinicians/Physicians around the world have access to the latest peer-reviewed evidence to treat patients and improve treatment outcomes.
• Nurses can advance evidence-based practice, stay updated in their field and offer better patient care.
• Researchers have access to the latest papers to inform their own work. 
• Patient Care and Public Health both benefit when practitioners and the public have access to high-quality information about disease prevention and treatment options.
• The Scientific Community at large by making available previous discoveries, techniques and technologies. The pace of science and research accelerates when researchers have access to more published peer-reviewed scientific and technical articles.

The “HowOpenIsIt?®”  was created by SPARC in conjunction with PLOS, and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) as a guide that standardizes Open Access terminology in an easily understandable, comprehensive resource.