The phrase "avoid referring" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when advising someone to not mention or allude to a specific topic or subject.
Example: "In your essay, please avoid referring to personal experiences that are not relevant to the topic."
Alternatives: "refrain from mentioning" or "steer clear of referencing".
I "de-pledged" a sorority and found community in WIL (Women's Issues League) meetings where we actually discussed how women (womyn?) should be spelled to avoid referring to ourselves by reference to men.
It's remarkable to see the lengths to which journalists will go in order to avoid referring to more than one of the trendy little hybrids.
In a page seemingly taken from the Harry Potter books, he tried to avoid referring to Mr. Liu by name, instead calling him the man "with the three-character name".
Teachers at Cheltenham Girls high school in Sydney were never told they should avoid referring to students as "girls", "women" or "ladies", despite claims in the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that they had been asked to use gender-neutral language.
Phillips is usually sparing of details, with the instincts of a good Central Intelligence Agency operative; sometimes, when talking about a free-agent player, he will even go so far as to avoid referring to the player by name.
Mr. Obama may be more inclined to prosecute suspected terrorists in the federal courts than Mr. Bush has been, and he may even avoid referring to the battle against terrorism as a "war".
The United States agreed to an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution, avoiding referring Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations.
It follows concerns raised about patients' care including allegations the hospital was avoiding referring children for complex and life-saving treatment at another centre in Newcastle.
For his part, Putin has assiduously avoided referring to Navalny by name, suggesting that he is, perhaps, aware of the blogger's political potential.
The administration is reviewing that aid but has carefully avoided referring to Mr. Morsi's ouster as a coup d'état, which could force its suspension on legal grounds.
The administration is reviewing that aid but has scrupulously avoided referring to Mr. Morsi's ouster as a coup d'état, which could force its suspension on legal grounds.
