Ecologists spend considerable time conducting field studies and experiments. The products of these efforts are primarily research papers, but an often overlooked product is the data themselves. Effectively organized data can streamline current and future analysis. In addition, well-designed data products can be used by you and your colleagues to address questions that were not necessarily part of the original study (e.g., meta-analysis). Sponsors recognize the importance of data products and some are requiring data management plans to maximize the effectiveness of research funding beyond the lifetime of individual projects. The purpose of this workshop is to provide guidance on fundamental data management practices that investigators should perform during the course of data collection to improve the usability of their data sets. The target audience is graduate students, post-docs, and researchers who are actively compiling data. Faculty members who would like to include exercises on best practices for preparing data as part of their curricula are encouraged to attend. Topics covered will include data structure, quality control, and documentation. We will also discuss the elements of an effective data management plan for use in grant proposals and project planning. Workshop participants must bring their own laptop to participate in hands-on activities and are encouraged to bring their own data sets, which instructors will assist in organizing. By following the practices taught in this workshop, your data will be less prone to error, more efficiently structured for analysis, and more readily understandable for any future questions that they might help address.