diff --git a/src/libstd/collections/hash/map.rs b/src/libstd/collections/hash/map.rs
index 9c77acb83ecb1..ee8c1dc81ad75 100644
--- a/src/libstd/collections/hash/map.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/collections/hash/map.rs
@@ -276,17 +276,31 @@ const DISPLACEMENT_THRESHOLD: usize = 128;
 /// ```
 /// use std::collections::HashMap;
 ///
-/// // type inference lets us omit an explicit type signature (which
-/// // would be `HashMap<&str, &str>` in this example).
+/// // Type inference lets us omit an explicit type signature (which
+/// // would be `HashMap<String, String>` in this example).
 /// let mut book_reviews = HashMap::new();
 ///
-/// // review some books.
-/// book_reviews.insert("Adventures of Huckleberry Finn",    "My favorite book.");
-/// book_reviews.insert("Grimms' Fairy Tales",               "Masterpiece.");
-/// book_reviews.insert("Pride and Prejudice",               "Very enjoyable.");
-/// book_reviews.insert("The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", "Eye lyked it alot.");
+/// // Review some books.
+/// book_reviews.insert(
+///     "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".to_string(),
+///     "My favorite book.".to_string(),
+/// );
+/// book_reviews.insert(
+///     "Grimms' Fairy Tales".to_string(),
+///     "Masterpiece.".to_string(),
+/// );
+/// book_reviews.insert(
+///     "Pride and Prejudice".to_string(),
+///     "Very enjoyable.".to_string(),
+/// );
+/// book_reviews.insert(
+///     "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes".to_string(),
+///     "Eye lyked it alot.".to_string(),
+/// );
 ///
-/// // check for a specific one.
+/// // Check for a specific one.
+/// // When collections store owned values (String), they can still be
+/// // queried using references (&str).
 /// if !book_reviews.contains_key("Les Misérables") {
 ///     println!("We've got {} reviews, but Les Misérables ain't one.",
 ///              book_reviews.len());
@@ -295,16 +309,16 @@ const DISPLACEMENT_THRESHOLD: usize = 128;
 /// // oops, this review has a lot of spelling mistakes, let's delete it.
 /// book_reviews.remove("The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes");
 ///
-/// // look up the values associated with some keys.
+/// // Look up the values associated with some keys.
 /// let to_find = ["Pride and Prejudice", "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland"];
-/// for book in &to_find {
+/// for &book in &to_find {
 ///     match book_reviews.get(book) {
 ///         Some(review) => println!("{}: {}", book, review),
 ///         None => println!("{} is unreviewed.", book)
 ///     }
 /// }
 ///
-/// // iterate over everything.
+/// // Iterate over everything.
 /// for (book, review) in &book_reviews {
 ///     println!("{}: \"{}\"", book, review);
 /// }
diff --git a/src/libstd/collections/hash/set.rs b/src/libstd/collections/hash/set.rs
index 855563a5cb8db..5ac3e8f9cf7d3 100644
--- a/src/libstd/collections/hash/set.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/collections/hash/set.rs
@@ -49,14 +49,14 @@ use super::map::{self, HashMap, Keys, RandomState};
 /// ```
 /// use std::collections::HashSet;
 /// // Type inference lets us omit an explicit type signature (which
-/// // would be `HashSet<&str>` in this example).
+/// // would be `HashSet<String>` in this example).
 /// let mut books = HashSet::new();
 ///
 /// // Add some books.
-/// books.insert("A Dance With Dragons");
-/// books.insert("To Kill a Mockingbird");
-/// books.insert("The Odyssey");
-/// books.insert("The Great Gatsby");
+/// books.insert("A Dance With Dragons".to_string());
+/// books.insert("To Kill a Mockingbird".to_string());
+/// books.insert("The Odyssey".to_string());
+/// books.insert("The Great Gatsby".to_string());
 ///
 /// // Check for a specific one.
 /// if !books.contains("The Winds of Winter") {
@@ -80,17 +80,17 @@ use super::map::{self, HashMap, Keys, RandomState};
 /// ```
 /// use std::collections::HashSet;
 /// #[derive(Hash, Eq, PartialEq, Debug)]
-/// struct Viking<'a> {
-///     name: &'a str,
+/// struct Viking {
+///     name: String,
 ///     power: usize,
 /// }
 ///
 /// let mut vikings = HashSet::new();
 ///
-/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Einar", power: 9 });
-/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Einar", power: 9 });
-/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Olaf", power: 4 });
-/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Harald", power: 8 });
+/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Einar".to_string(), power: 9 });
+/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Einar".to_string(), power: 9 });
+/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Olaf".to_string(), power: 4 });
+/// vikings.insert(Viking { name: "Harald".to_string(), power: 8 });
 ///
 /// // Use derived implementation to print the vikings.
 /// for x in &vikings {
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ use super::map::{self, HashMap, Keys, RandomState};
 /// use std::collections::HashSet;
 ///
 /// fn main() {
-///     let viking_names: HashSet<&str> =
+///     let viking_names: HashSet<&'static str> =
 ///         [ "Einar", "Olaf", "Harald" ].iter().cloned().collect();
 ///     // use the values stored in the set
 /// }