The phrase "a term that refers" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when defining or explaining a specific term or concept in a clear manner.
Example: "The word 'biodiversity' is a term that refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem."
Alternatives: "a phrase that denotes" or "a word that signifies".
Catherine Kotz and her colleagues provide an interesting summary of their preclinical work on spontaneous physical activity (SPA)—a term that refers to undirected movements in rodents and fidgeting in humans.
2015 marked the first time in history that current music releases were outsold by "catalogue album sales"—a term that refers to any release that is at least 18 months old.
Meanwhile she had prepared rice to make sushi (a term that refers to rice, not fish).
Ferromagnetic is a term that refers to materials that exhibit strong magnetic attraction when subjected to a magnetic field.
Sanskritization is a term that refers to a style of text that imitates the customs and manners of the Brahmans.
An enterovirus, generally, is a term that refers to any number of common viruses including the common cold.
Tian, often translated as "heaven" and literally meaning "sky," is a term that refers to multiple concepts, often simultaneously.
Ho is charged with helping a foreign power produce nuclear material, a term that refers to enriched uranium and plutonium for nuclear reactor fuel.
The Web site also goes by the name Soldiers of Hindutva, a term that refers to the primacy of Hindu religion and culture.
Cabello is also considered the broker between the government and the boligarchy (a term that refers to Chávez's own generation of nouveau rich).
He developed a specialty in demutualization, a term that refers to companies that are customer-owned mutual organizations becoming shareholder - owned stock companies.
