This study examines the challenges users face in judging information quality and cognitive authority on the web, a task made difficult by the lack of a quality control mechanism. The research involves 15 scholars from diverse disciplines, using a combination of verbal protocols, search logs, and post-search interviews to understand the factors influencing their judgments and the effects of these judgments on their selection behaviors. The study identifies two types of judgments: predictive and evaluative. Predictive judgments are made before accessing a web page, based on expectations, while evaluative judgments are made after viewing the page, based on actual experiences. The study finds that users consider multiple criteria, including information quality (goodness, accuracy, currency, usefulness, importance) and cognitive authority (trustworthiness, reliability, scholarliness, credibility, officialness, authoritativeness). Factors influencing these judgments include characteristics of information objects, characteristics of sources, knowledge, situation, ranking in search output, and general assumptions. The findings highlight the importance of understanding these factors to design web interfaces that support effective information seeking and decision-making.This study examines the challenges users face in judging information quality and cognitive authority on the web, a task made difficult by the lack of a quality control mechanism. The research involves 15 scholars from diverse disciplines, using a combination of verbal protocols, search logs, and post-search interviews to understand the factors influencing their judgments and the effects of these judgments on their selection behaviors. The study identifies two types of judgments: predictive and evaluative. Predictive judgments are made before accessing a web page, based on expectations, while evaluative judgments are made after viewing the page, based on actual experiences. The study finds that users consider multiple criteria, including information quality (goodness, accuracy, currency, usefulness, importance) and cognitive authority (trustworthiness, reliability, scholarliness, credibility, officialness, authoritativeness). Factors influencing these judgments include characteristics of information objects, characteristics of sources, knowledge, situation, ranking in search output, and general assumptions. The findings highlight the importance of understanding these factors to design web interfaces that support effective information seeking and decision-making.