A sample research paper can be useful to a student in many ways. Besides providing a mirror image of the essay you intend to write the sample also makes it easy for you to avoid certain pitfalls during the writing. By constantly referring back to the sample research paper, you put yourself in a proper position to write a paper that will be devoid of common errors that students make when writing. Some of the most common issues that a sample research paper will help you to steer away from include: