The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word CHRONOLOGIES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
H
R
O
N
O
L
O
G
I
E
S
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Records" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case records = chronologies.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 CHRONOLOGIES mean?
CHRONOLOGIES noun- The science of determining the order in which events occurred.
- An arrangement of events into chronological order; called a timeline when involving graphical elements.