Scholarly journals report research, theory and analysis on topics in academic disciplines. Students and researchers use them to follow the discourse of the academic community on topics. They also participate in that discourse by contributing their own work for inclusion in scholarly journals.
Scholarly journals publish peer reviewed articles.
Articles include reports of research results, theory and analysis. Journal is sponsored by an academic association or a university. Editorial board of the journal is made up of researchers or academics. Journal includes author's or contributor's guidelines, acceptance criteria for submissions. Many academic database allow you to limit your search to research or peer reviewed journal articles.