Embodiments are directed to ranking search results using a junk profile. For a given corpus of documents, one or more junk profiles may be created and maintained. The junk profile provides reference metrics to represent known junk documents. For example, a junk profile may comprise a dictionary of document data that is automatically inserted into documents created using a particular system or template. A junk profile may also comprise one or more representations (e.g., histograms) of a distribution of a particular junk variable for known junk documents. The junk profile provides a usable representation of known junk documents, and the present systems and methods employ the junk profile to predict the likelihood that documents in the corpus are junk. In embodiments, junk scores are calculated and used to rank such documents higher or lower in response to a search query.