English coy about record in study (7)
I believe the answer is:
ecology
'study' is the definition.
(ecology is a kind of study)
'english coy about record' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'record' becomes 'log' (log is a kind of record).
'coy' placed around 'log' is 'cology'.
'e'+'cology'='ECOLOGY'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for ecology that I've seen before include "Environmental science" , "Study of organisms in relation to their environment" , "Study of relations between organisms and their environment" , "Science of the interaction of organisms and their environment" , "Study of creatures etc in relation to environment" .)