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 Power of "I Don't Know" in Your Defense

6 Apr 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:33

In this brief YouTube monologue, Steve Tippins Ph.D. advises dissertation candidates that admitting uncertainty—by saying "I don't know"—is not a sign of failure but a demonstration of scholarly maturity. He explains that committees are interested in a candidate's understanding of the limits of their research rather than exhaustive knowledge. By acknowledging the scope boundaries and explaining them, candidates appear as competent peers. He warns against fabricating answers or rambling, which leads to failure. The video ends with a call to comment "help" to receive a link to a free dissertation help community.

Chapters

Most candidates think that saying "I don't know" in their defense is a guaranteed fail. So they make something up or ramble while trying to sound smart, but they're basically saying nothing. And that is what fails them. Your committee isn't testing whether you know everything. They're testing to see if you understand the limits of your own research. When you say "I don't know" and explain where your study's scope ends, you're demonstrating scholarly maturity. And that's what they want to see. Not perfection, just the ability to stand as a peer who knows what they know and what they don't. Comment "help" and we will send you the link to our free dissertation help community. You've got this!