Sustainable development, a prominent issue in the twenty-first century, is significantly influenced by the rapid global IT revolution. This study employs bibliometric analysis to explore the role of scientific research in sustainable development reporting, aligning with international standards and utilizing IT tools. It assesses countries’ awareness of sustainable development reporting’s importance in achieving socio-economic and environmental goals. The study examines article frequency, source countries, authors, co-authorship, citations, key term co-occurrences, and bibliometric coupling. The result concludes that active engagement among research work of academic institutions, government organizations, and industries of emerging countries on the development and role of information technology in sustainable development reporting practices can foster cost-effective ways for sustainable development reporting which may play a vital and crucial role in sustainable development reporting for middle- and low-income countries to ensure a green and sustainable future. This work can benefit middle- and low-income nations in their pursuit of a green and sustainable future. The research highlights the significance of academic institutions in enhancing sustainable development reporting, especially for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in middle and low-income countries, offering valuable insights for future actions, which in turn may help these countries to put more effort into this domain through their academic establishments.