What is a jurat?

A jurat is fundamentally a certification that the signer personally appeared before the notary. This is an essential part of the notary's duties, as it ensures that the individual who signed the document did so in the presence of the notary and confirmed their identity. The notary typically affixes their signature and seal to the document being notarized, along with a statement indicating that the jurat was administered and that the individual swore to or affirmed the truthfulness of the content of the document.

In this context, the other options do not accurately define a jurat. A document outlining the notary's duties would describe responsibilities and processes but would not specifically relate to the act of witnessing a signature. Similarly, a summary of the notary's journal entries pertains to record-keeping rather than the act of administering a jurat. Finally, a legal document verifying the notary's commission is related to the notary's authority to perform notarial acts but does not define what a jurat is. Thus, the definition of a jurat as the certification that the signer appeared before the notary is correct and central to the notarial process.