We expand the applicability of an a posteriori parameter choice strategy for Tikhonov regularization of the nonlinear ill-posed problem presented in Jin and Hou (Numer Math 83:139–159, 1999) by weakening the conditions needed in Jin and Hou [13]. Using a center-type Lipschitz condition instead of a Lipschitz-type condition used in Jin and Hou [13], Scherzer et al. (SIAM J Numer Anal 30:1796–1838, 1993), we obtain a tighter convergence analysis. Numerical examples are presented to show that our results apply but earlier ones do not apply to solve equations.