Rules and guidelines are provided governing the selection of documents and journal articles to be included in the ERIC database. Selection criteria are described under the five headings: (1) Appropriateness of content/subject matter; (2) Suitability of format, medium, document type; (3) Quality of content; (4) Legibility and reproducibility; (5) Availability. It is emphasized that quality of content is ERIC's single most important selection criterion. Various types of documents are listed and grouped, for selection purposes, under the headings "Most Suitable,""Acceptable,""Unsuitable." Possible actions to remedy physical problems with otherwise acceptable documents are described. Factors to be considered when selecting documents of the following special types are covered in detail: dissertations and theses; brief materials; corporation-produced materials; bibliographies; documents that cannot be reproduced; documents of local/parochial interest; instructional materials (for student or teacher); research reports. A special section deals with the selection of journals for coverage and the selection of journal articles from journals not covered comprehensively. (TB)