The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word PRO FORMA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
R
O
F
O
R
M
A
More clues leading to the result PRO FORMA
- Following the set way for meetings to keep minutes
- Invoice of a sort for working poor farm
- Document from academic men with an arts degree
- Don or postgrad’s official record
- Boat loads produce paid for before dispatch
- Poor farm forged invoice
- Document to be filled in by don or graduate
- Choice between academic and graduate, following set procedure
- Document professional first mentioned on the radio
- Invoice from a poorly expert taking precedence
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Following the set way" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case following the set way = pro forma.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.