Introducing a points-based grading system to punish athletes caught doping could improve the approach to tackling drugs in sport, experts have said.

Academics say the new approach would improve transparency and consistency by ensuring sanctions reflect the type of offence committed, the level at which the athlete is competing and the extent of their anti-doping education.

It is among a number of recommendations for radical reform contained in a new book by anti-doping experts Dr Paul Dimeo, of the University of Stirling, and Professor Verner Moller, of Aarhus University in Denmark.

The points-based system would mirror legal processes used to sentence drugs cases in England and Wales. It would involve defining categories of athlete, determining offence categories and outlining punishments and any factors that may lead to a reduction in sentence, including providing information on suppliers.

In defining categories of athlete, the authors suggest differentiating by age, level of anti-doping education, financial resource and the sports medicine support received by the individual.

They say this approach will protect young, inexperienced athletes, those who have received little or no anti-doping education and those who play sport for fun while coming down harder on professional, experienced athletes who dope.

The system would then score each of the categories, with the cumulative score determining the level of punishment, executed in a transparent and consistent framework.

The book - The Anti-Doping Crisis in Sport - examines the work of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and warns that, without a "total rethink" of the issue, sport could be facing the collapse of anti-doping, both as a policy and an ideology.

Dr Dimeo and Prof Moller acknowledge their proposal may appear "complex and bureaucratic" but said: "If the purpose is fairness, proportionality, humanity, transparency and consistency, then there is no reason to avoid complexity and debate.

"Anti-doping should be constructed to serve the interests of athletes, not to make life easier for Wada, the International Olympic Committee and other powerful sports institutions."

Dr Dimeo and Prof Moller also considered a number of alternative radical reforms, including a return to amateur sport to "reinvigorate the Olympic spirit" and remove the lure of prize money, endorsement deals and lucrative contracts.

The academics also suggest discarding therapeutic use exemptions and ensuring that athletes can only consult Wada-accredited medical staff to prevent athletes falsely claiming they suffer from diseases that allows them to use a performance-enhancing drug.

They also suggest introducing a 24-hour-a-day chaperone for professional athletes to eliminate the problem of doping.

The academics propose replacing the current surveillance system - based on unannounced and random target testing - with a direct surveillance system that would make direct doping testing unnecessary.

They write: "The idea is simple. Athletes who, under the current system, are part of the registered testing pool should instead be required to have Wada-employed chaperones with them day and night during their career.

"This solution would make it as good as impossible for athletes to dope and eliminate the problem, at least at elite level."

The book, published by Routledge, is available from April 23.