Before you dive into a research paper, it can be a good idea to do some background research. This will help you figure out a topic that is interesting to you, and introduce you to the major players in your particular area.
Many people do background research through sources like Wikipedia or general Google searching. You can also use a variety of specific encyclopedias that are available through the MSU Libraries.
Here are some suggestions for references that may be related to topics in the American Civil War. These links will connect to the library catalog record. Some are print sources and some are available online. For the print, you'll need the call number & location to find it. For the online, you should be able to click the link to connect.
If these are not the sources you are looking for, you can search in the library catalog for other reference sources. Do a keyword search using "reference", "Civil War" and perhaps another more specific key word such as "military" or "abolitionism" or whatever your more specific topic is. When you look through your list of results, look for buzzwords like encyclopedia, almanac, or handbook. Those often denote reference sources.