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For most people, writing an essay can be a bit of a nightmare, depending on the topic that needs to be written on. Part of the difficulties lies in the amount of research that needs to be done in order to write the essay in the context required; and of course the process of writing itself.

Sample essays will provide you with ideas

One of the ways that can be used to get around this is to consider using sample essays. This is not to say that you are going to copy out the content of the sample essay and get caught at plagiarism, but instead to read a few sample essays in the specific area to provide you with an idea of the specific types of discussion.

Use sample essays as a guide

The best way to ensure that the sample essays will serve as a guide is to get a variety of sample essays on the given topic. Look for essays that are interesting and contain all the relevant information about the topic that you are required to write on. This will include the reading list or bibliography and general content as well.

You then need to recraft the content of the sample essay into your own words. In addition to the content that is already available in the sample essays, explore some internet content as well that will provide you with up to date research materials.

Access e-libraries to enhance your essay

Most educational institutions now provide access to their own e-libraries, and if your institution does this, explore the e-resources available on the specific topic as well. It is ideal if you can add these resources to your bibliography to beef up the content of the essay that you are writing. A popular platform for search is WorldCat which has resources from more than 10,000 libraries worldwide and is accessible via your computer or smartphone.

How to use sample essays to your advantage

• Always check the dates of the resources that you are researching to beef up the sample essays. This will enhance the quality of what you are writing, and provide the specific slant that you will need for your essay question.
• Remember that the sample essays merely provide a guideline and while this can be very useful for the purposes of writing an essay, you cannot use this content as your own. You therefore must ensure that while you can follow the format or structure of such essays, that you add your own content and / or modify existing content as well.
• One of the best ways samples of essays provide a good resource is with reference to the bibliography and the footnotes that are available. You will find that often, you can use the extracts from the bibliographies and footnotes to create a full discussion by itself, if that is relevant to you essay submission.
• In terms of style, always remember to pick sample essays that fulfill the citation requirements as you are required to submit, for example APA citations required means that you should use essay formats that have APA citations. This makes it clearer in terms of the structure that you will be required to follow.

Have you used sample essays to help you write your own essays in the past? Did you find it difficult? Go ahead and share your both positive as well as negative experience, and even tips on how to do this.