A master's thesis focused on junk food availability that does not collect identifiers would be categorized under which type of review?

A master's thesis that does not collect identifiers when studying junk food availability is categorized as "Not Human Subjects Review" because it does not involve collecting data that can identify or affect individual human subjects directly. When research is conducted without the ability to link data back to specific individuals—such as not gathering personal identifiers—it falls outside the traditional human subjects research regulations, meaning it does not require approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) under human subjects protection guidelines.

The focus on junk food availability, rather than collecting personal responses or interactions with individuals, signifies that the data collected is likely aggregated or does not pertain to individual behaviors or experiences. This further supports the classification of the research as not needing oversight typically associated with human subjects.

In contrast, categories like Full Review, Expedited Review, and Exempt Review involve different considerations related to the presence of human subjects. A Full Review typically pertains to research that involves significant risk to subjects or sensitive data. An Expedited Review can apply to research that involves minimal risk and certain types of data collection but still involves identifiable individuals. An Exempt Review applies to research that meets specific criteria exempting it from full oversight but might still involve some form of human data collection or interaction. Therefore, since the thesis does not