The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word DOCUMENTATION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
D
O
C
U
M
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T
A
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "paper records?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case paper records? = documentation.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.
What does DOCUMENTATION mean?
DOCUMENTATION noun- Something transposed from a thought to a document; the written account of an idea.
- Documentary evidence and sources.
- Documents that explain the operation of a particular machine or software program.
- Comments that explain the usage of individual functions, libraries and blocks of code.