What makes a resource "scholarly"?     

1.  In general, information that has been created, selected, or reviewed by experts is more reliable, helpful, and accurate.  These "experts" are often referred to as "scholars" and thus the articles and books they produce are referred to as scholarly sources.

2.  Scholarly sources can be in the format of books, encyclopedias, and journal articles. 

3.  Scholarly sources are not typically free and accessible from Google searches. 

Having academic credentials (an advanced degree) is not enough to make someone a subject expert; the degree must be in the subject or a closely related subject that the person is writing about.  For instance, someone who has a PhD in economics and writes about nutrition is not a nutritional subject expert.

Source consulted:  Quaratiello, A. R. (2007).  Finding periodicals.  The college student's research companion (4th ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman.