What does it mean if s professor wants you to find "scholarly" sources for your paper? In general, academics like your professors define scholarly sources as sources that are written by experts in the field for the purpose of advancing knowledge and/or disseminating research. Experts in the field might include people like your professors, doctors, and science and/or social science researchers. Many experts who publish scholarly sources will have advanced degrees, but it's not a requirement.
Some of your professors may have a strict definition of scholarly sources, for which they mean only articles that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Many professors also include academic books written by experts in their definition of "scholarly." Other professors may have a more loose definition of scholarly sources that includes sources like research reports from government sources or non-partisan think tanks, conference proceedings, and PhD dissertations. If you are unsure if the source you are using is "okay" for your paper, it's best to ask! :)
Most articles that appear in scholarly journals are peer-reviewed, but not all.
Peer review in the context of scholarly articles is similar to the peer reviews you may have conducted in previous classes, but there are key differences. Both kinds of peer review involve providing feedback on the work of a peer with similar academic standing. Scholarly peer review is conducted by experts in a field and involves providing a judgement on whether or not a scholarly article is worthy enough for publication in a scholarly journal. This is meant as a way to ensure quality and accuracy. Please watch the video below for a description of the peer review process.