Partial Residuals

In a (linear, nonlinear, or additive) regression model with m predictors, the partial residuals for a predictor k are computed by removing from the dependent variable values the effects of all predictors i = 1, ... , m; i≠k. Scatterplots of partial residuals against predictor variables are particularly useful in generalized additive models, where they may aid in the interpretation of the (nonlinear) unique effect of the predictors in the overall model.