Dragon Kill Points: applying a transparent working template to relieve authorship stress

April Robin Martinig , Spenser L. P. Burk, Szymon Marian Drobniak , Isabella Perry, Kyle Morrison , Megan Petersohn, Shinichi Nakagawa , Pietro Pollo, Lorenzo Ricolfi , Coralie Williams , Aimee Chhen, Ayumi Mizuno , Jess Tam, Yefeng Yang, Julia de Jong, Alberto Ceccacci, Sandra Cuadros, Malgorzata Lagisz 

The concept of authorship, while straightforward in theory, proves to be remarkably complex in practice. While existing frameworks provide a foundation for classifying and ranking authorship roles, conflicts still arise when contributions are ambiguous or poorly documented. To address these issues, we propose Dragon Kill Points, adapted from multiplayer gaming, which tracks individual contributions to projects throughout their lifecycle. Dragon Kill Points is built around five key principles: granularity, responsibility, equity, autonomy, and transparency (GREAT). Granularity ensures detailed documentation of tasks, preventing underrepresentation of individual contributions. Responsibility is maintained by setting clear authorship criteria from the outset, allowing contributors to know how their work will be recognised. Equity ensures authorship rules apply to every team member, flattening hierarchies and highlighting ghost or gift authorship. Autonomy allows contributors to challenge or change their authorship position based on their contributions as the project progresses. Finally, transparency fosters trust by continuously sharing contribution records with the entire team. Through Dragon Kill Points, researchers can reduce conflicts, create more inclusive authorship practices, and acknowledge the true value of middle authorship positions. This system offers a flexible, scalable approach to managing authorship across various contexts, providing a solution to the complex challenges of collaboration.