Durbin-Watson Test for Autocorrelation

The Durbin-Watson test, developed by James Durbin and Geoffrey Watson in 1950–1951, detects first-order serial correlation in the residuals of a linear regression. Its statistic ranges from 0 to 4, with a value near 2 indicating no autocorrelation, values toward 0 indicating positive autocorrelation, and values toward 4 indicating negative autocorrelation. It remains one of the most reported regression diagnostics despite well-known limitations.