This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review that answers the research question: how does current literature define effective professional development? In answering this question, a set of design principles for effective professional development have been produced for utilisation by researchers and practitioners within and beyond the teaching profession. The literature review sourced articles published between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2021 from four prominent education databases. The search produced 10420 records. A series of inclusion and exclusion criteria were then applied, leaving 18 suitable articles to be included in the findings. A methodological quality assessment was undertaken, and data was extracted and synthesised to produce a set of ten design principles for effective professional development. This review has been reported on in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The review is also registered on Open Science Framework Registries.