The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word RECOGNITION
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
E
C
O
G
N
I
T
I
O
N
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "identification" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case identification = recognition.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 RECOGNITION mean?
RECOGNITION noun- The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity)
- Acceptance as valid or true
- Official acceptance of the status of a new government by that of another country
- Honour, favourable note, or attention
- The propriety consisting for antibodies to bind to some specific antigens and not to others.
- A return of the feu to the superior.