Those of you who have had to Research...

[wayfaringwordhack]

Do your projects have a specfic element (this includes a sci-fi story that needs Research for veracity) or are you writing straight historicals? If they are specfic, which takes precedence, the fantastical element or history/true life? Where is your emphasis? How do you reconcile the two? How do you know that the magic, mythology-come-true, or what have you contributes to the story and doesn't just neatly turn the focus?