Quality metadata and data are critical to advancing science and preserving data for long-term use. The Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE) Tropics project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy generates and utilizes ecological, hydrological, and meteorological data from tropical forests for scientific analysis and model parameterization. The project’s data team manages an archive for users to internally curate and publish data with a digital object identifier (DOI). A key focus of our project is to ensure NGEE Tropics data can be interpreted and utilized by current and future research teams. However, the education and participation of project members to prioritize and be involved in data curation is necessary to reach this goal. We have taken an interdisciplinary approach involving domain and data scientists to create a process that makes it easy for scientists to curate high-quality data packages for archival. First, the NGEE Tropics Archive and metadata reporting templates (FRAMES) were designed using user-experience research methods to incorporate user feedback through interviews and surveys. Upon submission of data packages, thorough checks are performed to ensure quality expectations are met. Each dataset is curated individually, and feedback is provided directly to scientists to identify the optimal data organization for their packages. The data team also provides training to project members using presentations, tutorials, and 1:1 training. As a result of our efforts, package and file-level metadata reporting to the NGEE Tropics archive fits within the existing workflow of scientists, establishing data curation as a core aspect of research. By educating the NGEE Tropics team through integration and communication, we have enabled the production of quality data packages that are findable, accessible and usable by any member of the public. This work will enhance the legacy of NGEE Tropics, and provide a lasting resource for the tropical research community.