Methods, compositions, and kits comprising target-specific oligonucleotides (TSOs) are disclosed herein. Methods, compositions, and kits comprising target-specific oligonucleotides (TSOs) can be used to attach adapters and/or linkers to target RNAs. Methods, compositions, and kits comprising target-specific oligonucleotides (TSOs) can be used in reactions, including, but not limited to, ligation reactions, amplification reactions, and sequencing reactions. Additionally, methods, compositions, and kits comprising target-specific oligonucleotides (TSOs) can be used for reducing and/or preventing the formation of secondary structures in target RNAs. These methods, compositions, and kits can also find use in a number of applications, for example, any application that benefits from stabilizing primary RNA structure, such as detecting and quantifying target RNAs in a sample, in the construction of small RNA libraries, in microarray and RT-qPCR applications, etc.