In this letter, we perform a sensitivity analysis on the master stability function approach for the synchronization of networks of coupled dynamical systems. More specifically, we analyze the linear stability of a nearly synchronized solution for a n
etwork of coupled dynamical systems, for which the individual dynamics and output functions of each unit are approximately identical and the sums of the entries in the rows of the coupling matrix slightly deviate from zero. The motivation for this parametric study comes from experimental instances of synchronization in human-made or natural settings, where ideal conditions are difficult to observe.
