We present the results of running 4 different papers through the automated filtering system used by the open access preprint server “arXiv” to classify papers and implement quality control barriers. The exercise was carried out in order to assess whether these highly sophisticated, state‐of‐the‐art filters can distinguish between papers that are controversial or have gone past their “sell‐by date,” and otherwise normal papers. We conclude that not even the arXiv filters, which are otherwise successful in filtering fringe‐topic papers, can fully acquire “Domain‐Specific Discrimination” and thus distinguish technical papers that are taken seriously by an expert community from those that are not. Finally, we discuss the implications this has for citizen and policy‐maker engagement with the Primary Source Knowledge of a technical domain.