First: What does "scholarly" mean?
A scholarly source is more than just a "good source." It describes a type of source produced in a certain way (written by experts, often reviewed by other experts before publication (peer-review)) and with a certain amount of depth (narrow scope and deep dive).
These articles tend to be mostly text, lacking decorative accents and advertisements. Most of them tend to be behind paywalls: while you can find scholarly sources through Google, many you can only read a summary for. Regular websites (whether it's Wikipedia or The New York Times or State.gov) are not scholarly.
- Is it a scholarly article? (Part of our Identifying Scholarly Sources guide)
So, where can you find them?
The college libraries subscribe to research databases that collect and organize all kinds of information sources, including scholarly articles. They can make your research easier by focusing on credible sources -- as opposed to the "everything" a Google search brings back. You can also get around paywalls for the sources included in our subscriptions, and even things we don't subscribe to, we have a way of delivering to you.
Note the descriptions of the individual databases: some, like Credo Reference or US Major Dailies, do not contain any scholarly articles no matter how you filter your search results. Others, like JSTOR or Project MUSE, only stock scholarly publications (but also note, not every part of a scholarly journal is a scholarly article -- book reviews are something you'll commonly come across that don't count).
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EBSCOhost databases include: Academic Search Complete, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, and more. You can limit your search to "scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals" from the Advanced Search screen, or filter your results after the fact. Check the "full text" checkbox to get back articles you can read right away that are part of our subscription.
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Gale-Cengage databases include: Literature Resource Center, Health Reference Center, and more.
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The database JSTOR does not have a limiter for scholarly content because that's what it contains exclusively. However, you should limit your search to "articles" or perhaps "research reports." JSTOR defaults to "content I can access" i.e. what EBSCO calls full text.
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Still stuck? Can't find an article, or not sure if you did?
That's why you have your librarians! We can help point out databases to search in that would be good for your topic, help you develop keywords, and steer you away from sources that aren't in your best interest. You've got 6 easy ways to get in touch.