Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

The Fastest Way to Check Your Gap

3 Mar 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:30

In this brief instructional video, the speaker urges students to consult their institution’s research librarians when trying to determine whether a research gap truly exists. He recommends asking the librarian if similar research has been done and providing clear search parameters, emphasizing that librarians are skilled “wizards” who can deliver a quick yes-or-no answer. He also promotes a free dissertation‑help community for students who are struggling to locate or refine a gap, inviting them to join for additional support.

Chapters

Look, you're paying tuition to go to school and you've got librarians. Ask the research librarian, has there ever been any research done like this? And give them parameters that they can search. They're wizards at doing these searches and they might be able to help you find the yes or no answer much quicker than you can. And it's always nice to call on a wizard to help in the process. If you're struggling with finding a gap or just having difficulties in fine-tuning it, join our free dissertation help community. I'll see you there.