James Geikie received a number of testimonials from distinguished scientists when he was applying for the chair of geology at the University of Edinburgh. He also published numerous scholarly articles in journals of organisations such as the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science, covering such topics as glaciation, geological research, and specific aspects of the geology of specific locations within Scotland, Britain, Europe and the wider world. His son, John Somerville Geikie also published on the subject of gold at Sarawak.