Your instructor may ask you to use only scholarly resources for your paper. What's the difference between a scholarly or non-scholarly resource?
Scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources include books and articles published in scholarly journals, encyclopedias, and books. These sources are reviewed by a panel of experts in that particular field, and are often published by a professional association or a university press. These experts ensure the information published is credible before accepting it for publication.
Non-Scholarly sources include websites, magazines, newspapers, and books that undergo no expert review prior to publishing.
Scholarly (peer-reviewed) articles (journal articles) the author/s have credentials, use vocabulary unique to the field, and give their references. They often follow the format below...
The Format of a Scholarly Article:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methods and Data
Analysis and Results
Discussion and Conclusion
References
Finding and Citing a Scholarly Article for Psychology