Using Literary Guides

I'm working with few of you sophomores who are working on research papers examining short stories by a particular author.  So let me me remind you of a few tools that will help you with this.  First, don't forget to look up full-text short stories online by using the term etext in your search.  The next tip, I admit, I have some reservation in sharing.  I used to abhor the idea of students using Cliffnotes.  But lately, I have begun to reconsider using these because most of these literary guides now provide study questions, possible essay topics, and above all a themes component. This is the area that you will need to visit if you are having trouble determining what the themes are.  So I'll back off the hesitancy if you guys promise to use these tools wisely. Because there really are few worthwhile shortcuts in life.