Please refer the attached link. SCI and SCIE are superior to ESCI. But, I could not find the reason or understand why web of Science brought a new classification. The explanation in web of science website is so ambiguous. They state that after a lapse of time, ESCI journals will be evaluated and moved to SCI and SCIE list. If so, all the newly started journals should have been initially added to ESCI and after few years only those journals should move to SCI/SCIE. However, I noticed that some recently started journals were directly included in SCI/SCIE list. Others, even some new journals with reputed publishers like Elsevier are only present in ESCI list. They say that the same criteria used for SCI is taken into consideration for admitting journals into ESCI. If so, why is this new classification required? Does it have a hidden agenda to include open access predatory journals in the web of science database?