diff --git a/djangorestframework/parsers.py b/djangorestframework/parsers.py
index 43ea0c4dc..fc0260fcf 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/parsers.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/parsers.py
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ __all__ = (
 )
 
 
+class DataAndFiles(object):
+    def __init__(self, data, files):
+        self.data = data
+        self.files = files
+
+
 class BaseParser(object):
     """
     All parsers should extend :class:`BaseParser`, specifying a :attr:`media_type` attribute,
@@ -80,7 +86,7 @@ class JSONParser(BaseParser):
         `files` will always be `None`.
         """
         try:
-            return (json.load(stream), None)
+            return json.load(stream)
         except ValueError, exc:
             raise ParseError('JSON parse error - %s' % unicode(exc))
 
@@ -100,7 +106,7 @@ class YAMLParser(BaseParser):
         `files` will always be `None`.
         """
         try:
-            return (yaml.safe_load(stream), None)
+            return yaml.safe_load(stream)
         except (ValueError, yaml.parser.ParserError), exc:
             raise ParseError('YAML parse error - %s' % unicode(exc))
 
@@ -119,7 +125,7 @@ class PlainTextParser(BaseParser):
         `data` will simply be a string representing the body of the request.
         `files` will always be `None`.
         """
-        return (stream.read(), None)
+        return stream.read()
 
 
 class FormParser(BaseParser):
@@ -137,7 +143,7 @@ class FormParser(BaseParser):
         `files` will always be :const:`None`.
         """
         data = QueryDict(stream.read())
-        return (data, None)
+        return data
 
 
 class MultiPartParser(BaseParser):
@@ -149,16 +155,17 @@ class MultiPartParser(BaseParser):
 
     def parse(self, stream, **opts):
         """
-        Returns a 2-tuple of `(data, files)`.
+        Returns a DataAndFiles object.
 
-        `data` will be a :class:`QueryDict` containing all the form parameters.
-        `files` will be a :class:`QueryDict` containing all the form files.
+        `.data` will be a `QueryDict` containing all the form parameters.
+        `.files` will be a `QueryDict` containing all the form files.
         """
         meta = opts['meta']
         upload_handlers = opts['upload_handlers']
         try:
             parser = DjangoMultiPartParser(meta, stream, upload_handlers)
-            return parser.parse()
+            data, files = parser.parse()
+            return DataAndFiles(data, files)
         except MultiPartParserError, exc:
             raise ParseError('Multipart form parse error - %s' % unicode(exc))
 
@@ -171,19 +178,13 @@ class XMLParser(BaseParser):
     media_type = 'application/xml'
 
     def parse(self, stream, **opts):
-        """
-        Returns a 2-tuple of `(data, files)`.
-
-        `data` will simply be a string representing the body of the request.
-        `files` will always be `None`.
-        """
         try:
             tree = ET.parse(stream)
         except (ExpatError, ETParseError, ValueError), exc:
             raise ParseError('XML parse error - %s' % unicode(exc))
         data = self._xml_convert(tree.getroot())
 
-        return (data, None)
+        return data
 
     def _xml_convert(self, element):
         """
diff --git a/djangorestframework/request.py b/djangorestframework/request.py
index 84ca05753..2e4e89092 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/request.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/request.py
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ class Request(object):
             self._load_method_and_content_type()
 
         if not _hasattr(self, '_data'):
-            (self._data, self._files) = self._parse()
+            self._data, self._files = self._parse()
 
     def _load_method_and_content_type(self):
         """
@@ -201,11 +201,11 @@ class Request(object):
             self._CONTENTTYPE_PARAM in self._data):
             self._content_type = self._data.pop(self._CONTENTTYPE_PARAM)[0]
             self._stream = StringIO(self._data.pop(self._CONTENT_PARAM)[0])
-            (self._data, self._files) = self._parse()
+            self._data, self._files = self._parse()
 
     def _parse(self):
         """
-        Parse the request content.
+        Parse the request content, returning a two-tuple of (data, files)
 
         May raise an `UnsupportedMediaType`, or `ParseError` exception.
         """
@@ -214,8 +214,14 @@ class Request(object):
 
         for parser in self.get_parsers():
             if parser.can_handle_request(self.content_type):
-                return parser.parse(self.stream, meta=self.META,
-                                    upload_handlers=self.upload_handlers)
+                parsed = parser.parse(self.stream, meta=self.META,
+                                      upload_handlers=self.upload_handlers)
+                # Parser classes may return the raw data, or a
+                # DataAndFiles object.  Unpack the result as required.
+                try:
+                    return (parsed.data, parsed.files)
+                except AttributeError:
+                    return (parsed, None)
 
         raise UnsupportedMediaType(self._content_type)
 
diff --git a/djangorestframework/tests/parsers.py b/djangorestframework/tests/parsers.py
index a85409dc0..c9b6afd0a 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/tests/parsers.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/tests/parsers.py
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class TestFormParser(TestCase):
         parser = FormParser()
 
         stream = StringIO(self.string)
-        (data, files) = parser.parse(stream)
+        data = parser.parse(stream)
 
         self.assertEqual(Form(data).is_valid(), True)
 
@@ -203,10 +203,10 @@ class TestXMLParser(TestCase):
 
     def test_parse(self):
         parser = XMLParser()
-        (data, files) = parser.parse(self._input)
+        data = parser.parse(self._input)
         self.assertEqual(data, self._data)
 
     def test_complex_data_parse(self):
         parser = XMLParser()
-        (data, files) = parser.parse(self._complex_data_input)
+        data = parser.parse(self._complex_data_input)
         self.assertEqual(data, self._complex_data)
diff --git a/djangorestframework/tests/renderers.py b/djangorestframework/tests/renderers.py
index adf8d8fa1..dc30f4870 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/tests/renderers.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/tests/renderers.py
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ if YAMLRenderer:
             parser = YAMLParser()
 
             content = renderer.render(obj, 'application/yaml')
-            (data, files) = parser.parse(StringIO(content))
+            data = parser.parse(StringIO(content))
             self.assertEquals(obj, data)
 
 
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ class XMLRendererTestCase(TestCase):
         content = StringIO(renderer.render(self._complex_data, 'application/xml'))
 
         parser = XMLParser()
-        complex_data_out, dummy = parser.parse(content)
+        complex_data_out = parser.parse(content)
         error_msg = "complex data differs!IN:\n %s \n\n OUT:\n %s" % (repr(self._complex_data), repr(complex_data_out))
         self.assertEqual(self._complex_data, complex_data_out, error_msg)
 
diff --git a/djangorestframework/tests/request.py b/djangorestframework/tests/request.py
index 85b2f4186..1d74ea323 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/tests/request.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/tests/request.py
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ Tests for content parsing, and form-overloaded content parsing.
 from django.conf.urls.defaults import patterns
 from django.contrib.auth.models import User
 from django.test import TestCase, Client
-from django.utils import simplejson as json
 
 from djangorestframework import status
 from djangorestframework.authentication import UserLoggedInAuthentication
@@ -13,7 +12,6 @@ from djangorestframework.parsers import (
     FormParser,
     MultiPartParser,
     PlainTextParser,
-    JSONParser
 )
 from djangorestframework.request import Request
 from djangorestframework.response import Response
diff --git a/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py b/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py
index 3cd2e8e11..ba7c85538 100644
--- a/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py
+++ b/djangorestframework/utils/encoders.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+"""
+Helper classes for parsers.
+"""
 import datetime
 import decimal
 from django.utils import timezone
@@ -6,10 +9,12 @@ from django.utils import simplejson as json
 
 class JSONEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
     """
-    JSONEncoder subclass that knows how to encode date/time and decimal types.
+    JSONEncoder subclass that knows how to encode date/time,
+    decimal types, and generators.
     """
     def default(self, o):
-        # See "Date Time String Format" in the ECMA-262 specification.
+        # For Date Time string spec, see ECMA 262
+        # http://ecma-international.org/ecma-262/5.1/#sec-15.9.1.15
         if isinstance(o, datetime.datetime):
             r = o.isoformat()
             if o.microsecond:
diff --git a/docs/tutorial/1-serialization.md b/docs/tutorial/1-serialization.md
index 0b6eac9d2..34bac1559 100644
--- a/docs/tutorial/1-serialization.md
+++ b/docs/tutorial/1-serialization.md
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ We've now got a few comment instances to play with.  Let's take a look at serial
 
     serializer = CommentSerializer(instance=c1)
     serializer.data
-    # {'email': u'leila@example.com', 'content': u'nothing to say', 'created': datetime.datetime(2012, 8, 22, 16, 20, 9, 822774)}
+    # {'email': u'leila@example.com', 'content': u'nothing to say', 'created': datetime.datetime(2012, 8, 22, 16, 20, 9, 822774, tzinfo=<UTC>)}
 
 At this point we've translated the model instance into python native datatypes.  To finalise the serialization process we render the data into `json`.