Student Tips for Writing an RN

RN's are excellent examples of the "practice makes perfect" philosophy. These papers are essentially five paragraph essays condensed - each one has an intro, body, and conclusion. In the beginning a three prong thesis is advocated and teachers will generally accept it. However, gradually move away from this writing aid because it will restrict your ideas. Also, remember, three prong theses must be parallel and can usually be the first sentence. However, some teachers prefer a creative one line intro. Transitions must be obvious since there are no paragraph separations. In general stay away from too much flowery language, just be straightforward.

The following are rules agreed upon by teachers:

-Never use contractions or personal pronouns
-Active voice preferred over passive.
ex. Active: The student (doer of the action) wrote the essay (receiver of the action). Passive: The essay (receiver of the action) was written by the student (doer of the action).

RN's often require the inclusion of quotes from a literary source. Before writing, find the quotes that would complement your topic. Do NOT use random quotes: they will be awkward. Always introduce your quotes and provide an explanation afterwards. As well, remember to cite the quote in the following fashion: (Author page #). However, quotes do not have to be cited if the author or source is part of the sentence. For the conclusion it is allowed to restate the thesis. However, extend or reword the thesis so that it is not an exact replica. Conclusions should only be about one to two sentences. Keep this in mind and you should be fine. Good luck!

-Janson